


Hello, Goodbye

by MidnightsNightmares



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: A Story of How Each Human Soul Met Sans and Died, Other, or technically AU where sans meets all of the six souls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-20
Updated: 2015-12-10
Packaged: 2018-05-02 11:51:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 33,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5247245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightsNightmares/pseuds/MidnightsNightmares
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sans meets six new friends. Sans loses all of them, one by one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The first thing you remembered was when you fell down the long, dark rocky tunnel.

  
But you do know now, that among your dirty clothing that are ripped is that they are wet and cold. You remembered seeing snow when you landed. Snow that had built up to touch your knees and though you were dizzy, you dared not move when you made impact because of how the world shook around you. The fall was rough enough that you knocked your head against the ground or something hard and you were sure that this was it for you but it wasn't. Though your thinking was unclear, you realized the reason you probably weren't dead from the fall was because of the snow; it was like a soft pillow waiting to spare and save you.

  
It didn't take long for you to black out again.

  
The second thing you remember is someone talking to you. Even if your vision was shaking to the point the light coming through the nearest source when you opened your eyes gave you a headache, you could hear a voice. They were loud and clear but you couldn't process their words well enough. It was dim but bright enough to make your skull feel like it was split in half.

  
Someone was talking to you - someone you couldn't recognize, but you groaned that the light was hurting. They said something back and you didn't process it. You say again that the light was hurting you.

  
The light disappeared after that. You'd sighed with relief.

  
The third thing you remember you forgot when you woke up. It took a while, but you found yourself fully conscious and able to think clearly.

  
And it was then that you took notice of your surroundings.

  
It was rather a dark and dusty place. Well, it looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a while. Laundry scattered the floor - socks mainly, but you didn't feel disgusted at the sight. Your own work desk was a true disaster to behold. You can remember just how many stopped and started works laid among the desk and you didn't bother cleaning it up most of the time. Only organizing it into more neater piles. A neater, messy desk that was only slightly more pleasing to see then scattered stories.

  
You pushed yourself up and off the couch you laid on though your body was sore. It was then you took notice of a thin, thin blanket draped over your body when it slipped off. It was a light gray and barely provided you any warmth from it and you shivered upon realize your clothes were still dampened. You did your best not to shake, and thought about maybe wrapping the thin blanket around you. It would be better then walking around in wet, cold clothes alone in a dark, dirty house. Picking it up, you did your best to make good use of it and tried to gain some warmth from it.

  
You took a few steps forward, opting to investigate the quiet house. You were nervous, no doubt. You were in a place you'd never seen before and someone had to have carried you from where you fell and tried to take care of you. You supposed you should thank them. When you surfaced, you could remember the voice was a deep one. You didn't know a face you could match it to, and you didn't know if you really wanted to find out. Though you took your chances and softly walked around the house, being sure to make your footsteps light and your first stop was in a kitchen that was considerably cleaner then the living room you were in.

  
You called out softly, unable to raise your voice, but received no answer.

  
You were frightened. You were sure that you were in a place you've never seen before and if you remembered correctly you'd fallen down a hole in the side of the mountain. You'd scaled the mountain, not too high up of course, just to sit and write for a while in order to take in the beauty of scenery you wanted to write about. A pretty, pretty scenery you'd realized. The mountain was dreary in the eyes of most but you realized one day while leaning against your window, gazing at it in the distance that you found yourself doing that a lot to gaze at it. You had a particular fondness of it. You'd been warned to never go there, but you thought that a little high up climb, a quick poem and a climb down wouldn't hurt anyone.

  
It ended up hurting you, but you were thankful your limbs were intact and some soul, whoever it could be, had found you and tended to you.

  
"...Kiddo, you up? You in the kitchen?"

  
The voice had disturbed you immediately. You'd thought to run and hide out of impulse and fear but you didn't know the place all too well, and the thumping of the steps in the living room made you realize that you had no time either way.

  
And when you came face to face with a short, bony man with glowing eyes, you weren't sure what to think. You thought of running, though when he saw terror cross your eyes even in the dark and you'd backed further away from him, he laughed a bit, then told you to 'chill'. It was a badly timed thing to say though when you took note you were still shaking from the cold you realized that he had said it intentionally.

  
Your fear lessened some after that, but you kept your guard up.

  
"And...uh, don't wanna alarm ya or anything but my baby brother's upstairs sleeping. Be a little quiet, okay?"

  
"I...alright..."

  
"So don't...scream or anything. Haven't you ever seen a skeleton before? I heard humans have one in them."

  
You really didn't know what to think, but the natural levity that the skeleton put off was, for some reason, very trust worthy.

  
You instantly trusted him after that, but you didn't have a choice.

  
**xxx**

  
"So...you don't remember your name."

  
You'd admitted that to him.

  
This skeleton had soon, with suave and compelling words, convinced you to sit with him on the couch so you could sort out your wits and see what you knew. You remember hitting your head on something hard, but what it was you weren't sure. You knew that snow had cushioned your fall but surely that didn't mean a rock wasn't concealed under it all. You did feel a slight ache around the back of your head and again you counted your blessings because of the lack of true damage on your body.

  
And it was true. You didn't remember your name. You didn't remember the names of your family. You didn't remember much after the fall. You'd realized this when he asked you to tell him about yourself and you went to say your name when you realized you had no idea. So you told the truth seeing as he told you the truth about himself (or as far as you knew, he had).

  
His name was Sans. Sans the skeleton, as he introduced himself as.

 

And you yourself were in the Underground; a world of monsters.

  
That put you off more then anything. Monsters were a term you were familiar with from all the lecturing about history in your school but you'd believed being underneath that they would all be dead by now. Everyone on the surface was under that belief. You'd never assumed they'd make complete use out of it after being concealed away and instantly would build a whole world under the ground.

  
They lived, and they thrived. And you dared not question how they got snow. Magic, you assumed.

  
Of course, magic. Every question you asked was typically answered with magic when you first began speaking with Sans a little over two hours ago after you'd sat. It was then that he realized he didn't know your name.

  
"...Wonder how you fell here though," Sans mumbled. He crossed his legs on the couch. You couldn't keep your eyes off of the bare bones that were there. You knew some bones had to be connected with muscle and wondered how Sans kept himself together. Again, magic, you assumed.

  
"What do you mean?"

  
"Hm...well, can't say I know any other way into the Underground. I know...one way, at least. But you didn't come that way."  


"I didn't...?"

  
"Nope. I would have known."

  
"Eh?"

  
"It's nothing," he said, directing the glowing dots for pupils towards you. "So you're a no-name...hmm...what am I gonna call you then?"

  
"I...don't know?"

  
"Think about it and tell me - " he yawned, covering his hand with his mouth, " - because I don't know either."

  
"...Alright then."

  
He eyed you for a few moments. You were uncomfortable under his stare.

  
"You don't talk much," he said. "Your voice is very soft."

  
You weren't sure how to take that. As a compliment or as an insult. You lowered your gaze away from his and he did the same. He put his hands behind his head and hearing the movement of free bones made you uneasy though you'd quickly learned and perceived Sans to be a friend and not an enemy. You'd chosen not to answer him but pulled the thin gray blanket around you more.

  
It wasn't doing much, but Sans had gotten you a towel to try and dry out your clothes a little more. You'd locked yourself away in his bathroom to do so and while it didn't get much of the water out, it was enough that your thighs didn't make an odd squeak sound as you walked. The fabric of your tights were that type of annoying material and if you'd known you were going to fall into a cold, snowy place where you met a skeleton with a small baby brother then you might have dressed warmer. You'd looked in the foggy, mildly cracked mirror to see your dark skin bruised in some places but your hair pulled into long braids were tangled and messy. Your yellow shirt and skirt were ruined, but you felt fine over all.

  
"You...said you have a brother..." You said, though your voice was barely above a whisper.

  
"Yeah. He's still a baby bones, but his name is Papyrus."

  
"...That's sweet..."

  
"Wanna meet 'im when he wakes up? He'll probably like you."

  
That was a question you didn't know how to answer.

  
He'd just met you. He didn't know a thing about you other then you had a fondness for writing and that you didn't remember your name, but yet he was willing to put a baby in your arms? His baby brother, no less? You suddenly weren't too sure of this man again before you reminded yourself that he'd saved you from freezing to death and helped you while you were out of terms with yourself.

  
You sighed, knowing that though it was going to be a baby skeleton, you didn't reject the thought of it. If it was a world of monsters, you supposed you should take baby steps (literally).

  
"...I'd like that."

  
"Good. You'll know when he wakes up - he's one hell of a screamer. Usually calms down when I come hold him though."

  
You laughed gently.

  
"But what about you?" Sans asked, once again turning his attention to you. You gave him a questioning gaze.

  
"Look, I dunno how to help you," he said. "You've fallen, you don't know who you are, but I can guess you wanna go back up."

  
You nodded.

  
"Well, that's the thing. Unless you're a willing murderer, you aren't going back up."

  
That made you pause. The fact he said the word 'murder' so casually was enough to put you off. Surely he wasn't a bad man or anything as you were certain of that from your rescue, but what did he intend by saying that? You slowly shook your head, and he shrugged his shoulders.

  
"No? No killing? Well, get comfy. My couch is pretty comfortable, I suppose. My house is your house then."

  
"...I'm not certain if I understand..."

  
He didn't say anything, which made you only more tense. Or at least, not right away. You chose to distract yourself from the silence by rubbing your thumb against the mesmerizing soft texture of the blanket.

  
"You aren't going to go back up. To cross the barrier, you have to have a human soul. Which you already have," he explained, slowly uncrossing his legs and let them down onto the floor to where the bottoms of his feet just barely touched the wood.

  
"And on top of that, you have to have a monster soul as well. You don't have a monster soul, and the only way to get one," his smiled lessened as he talked, as if the subject made him uneasy, "is to kill a monsters. But, assuming from your reaction...ya ain't got the guts, yeah?"

  
You were sure by the way he was speaking that agreeing wouldn't be weak, so you did. Besides, you couldn't just present yourself as a killer to a world of people you'd just met. Technically you'd only met one person from it so far but it didn't bother you. No matter how hidden or concealed you were so far or how many people knew you were here, you couldn't be a murderer. And you'd just gotten here on top of that, so murder was the last thing you wanted to hear about.

  
"But y'know, that's okay," he said. "Lotta monsters are nice...nicer then me, maybe. Lot of 'em will take care of ya. Lot of 'em will love ya. So don't be scared, yeah?" He looked at you, though leaned closer. You were immediately uncomfortable but he merely widened his very, very ominous smile at you. He made you somewhat uncomfortable but again, you knew, he was not an enemy.

  
"Are you afraid of monsters?"

  
You didn't know how to answer that. But slowly you shook your head. That was the best choice, you knew. Because he'd been so nice to you, and he'd promised to tell you everything you were confused about. So trusting him on that monsters were not harmful was an instinct.

  
Sans was your best bet right now to have better understanding of everything. You supposed you should be more worried about the fact you wouldn't never see your family again but you realize that you had no clue who they were anymore, and on top of that yourself. Perhaps the amnesia was alleviating the pain a lot more then you realized.

  
"Good," he said. "They might be afraid of you, but good."

  
You chose not to question that matter, but rather heard your stomach growl.

  
"Ahaha, hungry? I ain't got a lot, but y'know, there might be chips somewhere in there."

  
"...Those are fine...can I have them?"

  
"Sure, whatever. Take 'em."

  
You supposed that was his implication that he wasn't going to get up and get them for you. You remembered the location of the kitchen and walked back in. The house was still dark, but Sans hadn't wanted to risk waking his brother by turning on the lights. You suggested closing the door to his room but Sans said the last time he did that while he was napping, he screamed his little throat raw out of terror. He's generally a crier when he wakes up but he'd thought something was seriously wrong that night. He opted to never do it again.

  
You weren't sure where they were or even if you knew what the bag looked like but you found them.

  
Potato chips. Plain, barely salted and tasteless. Much like how you liked them.

  
You hadn't said a word to him after that, as he assumed you must have accepted your fate as a new resident here. You weren't entirely okay with that but drove your thoughts to drifting distant words when you'd mindlessly ate the snack. It wasn't filling, nor was it satisfying, but you were a bored snacker, you could admit. Sans had someone quickly miraculously fallen asleep next to you on the couch, and you wondered if his weariness was due to the fact he had a baby brother.

  
Your mind shot to ask if he had a father or mother, but you assumed with the quiet house and the way he spoke about his brother that he was the one to care for the baby.  
You wondered how that happened. You wondered how skeletons could be babies in the first place. A tantalizing thing to ask about later you supposed before you realized it could be personal.

  
Before you knew it, your hand had reached into the bag again but was met with tiny crumbs. You looked into the bag only to realize you'd eaten all of them. It didn't have that much left to begin with but you thought it rude to come in and eat something of his even if he gave you permission. You thought that maybe he would want some left but you silently set the bag aside and let your sore head roll to touch the couch. You thought of sleeping too, but decided against it.

  
You'd slept enough today and you wanted to investigate a little more. But not without Sans. You'd feel better if he was there. Perhaps a tour guide sort of thing but you could only assume from his reactions and responses that he wasn't an energetic skeleton. Given the messy home, he was also more of a slob as well. But you chose to say nothing and took his home and the thin blanket with gratitude.

  
He could have left you there to die, but he didn't.

  
You finally decided after much thought that maybe you could use more rest.

  
**xxx**

  
"Ate 'em all? Whoa, kiddo, didn't think you were that hungry."

  
A bony finger was poking you in your side.

  
You woke back up with a start and Sans was yawning into his hand again. You weren't certain what time it was but it was dark out the window and you feared that you'd slept longer then what you intended. Sans held up the empty bag of potato chips to you and snickered before reaching over to poke your belly. You'd reacted by drawing away from him slightly, unappreciative of the unwanted contact.

  
He gave you an apologetic look though laughed abruptly.

  
"Hey - did you remember your name?"

  
"Um..." You thought, but eventually shook your head.

  
"No? Oh man, good. I got one for you."

  
You listened intently.

  
"Chip."

  
"Eh?"

  
"I'm gonna call you Chip."

  
"As in...potato chip?"

  
"Mm-hm," he said, nodding. "You're Chip."

  
...Well, it wasn't at all an undesirable name.

  
"I'm...fine with that. I'm Chip."

  
"Well then, Chip," he said. "Let me go check on my brother real quick. After that we'll talk a little more, yeah?"

  
"Okay..."

  
And that's how it was for the next few weeks you'd been there. You'd gone outside very briefly but only at night time and only if Sans was at your side. Eventually you had met his brother Papyrus, and just as you expected he was a small skeleton baby. He seemed uncertain of you, pulling at your shirt a lot more then you expected and trying to grab your nose and lips a few times. You were a new person, but eventually he had taken a liking to you much like you had Sans.

  
You weren't the most talkative in the world but you could appreciate the things that Sans would do to fill the silence and keep you entertained. Sans had claimed he works but you'd only occasionally see him leave and come back. Whatever he did didn't seem all too hard but you did ask eventually what his job. He sold his version of hot dogs and that, you realized, was absolutely disgusting and revolting but chose not to say anything. Hot dogs weren't your most favorite things in the world.

  
He'd asked you if you enjoyed your stay so far and you admitted it wasn't bad but you were somewhat longing to know who you were. The name 'Chip' had stuck with you and quickly you learned to go by it. But it didn't feel like you.

  
Soon enough, you'd found a book on yourself. Shoved in the pocket of your coat, you hadn't noticed it until a day after you arrived that a small, beautiful leather bound book was in your pocket. Your writing journal, you remembered. You flipped it open, hoping to find your name scribbled somewhere but you didn't find it. You looked for names of your family in the poems and stories but didn't find them. You'd accepted that you'd solely have to rely on hoping you'd remember. Maybe it wasn't all too important that you remembered but you somewhat hoped you would.

  
"Chip," Sans called out as he came out of his brother's room. He'd laid him down for his nap.

  
You'd looked at him from above. He was on the second floor, leaning on the railing and waving down at you. When he got your attention he'd come down the steps at a leisure pace until he reached your side, sitting on his side of the couch.

  
"You doing alright, kid? You sure you don't want to go outside a little more? It won't be that bad, y'know."

  
You hesitated but you agreed.

  
**xxx**

  
You'd become a lot more accustom to the world of monsters after that. Slowly Sans had compelled you to come with him to eat at an odd place called Grillby's. You liked the food and while it wasn't the most healthiest choice, you decided you liked it. Grillby could make one hell of a burger, after all, and it wasn't too hard to think that a guy like Sans would like a place like this. He brought his baby brother along and he sat on Sans' lap in a booth the majority of the time or in a high chair, and for some reason you couldn't help but find that endearing.

  
"You seem to like the other monsters here," Sans commented. "Feeling more comfortable?"

  
You nodded.

  
"Hm. Good."

  
And he continued to encourage you like that. If you felt comfortable of course. Go around with him and Papyrus to see new places, although you couldn't help but feel eventually that you were a burden.

  
And you decided from then on that you would try to be a little more helpful to Sans. His house was a wreck, so you tidied that up for him although all clothes you picked up were folded neatly and placed onto the table. You cleaned up his kitchen a little more and even once with the spare ingredients he had decided to make him a dinner when he got home. He was surprised, of course said thanks but told you that you didn't have to do all of that for him.

  
Sans said you could do as you wish just as long as you promised when he needed you to that you'd watch his baby brother for him and of course you'd agreed. Papyrus was rather a cutie anyway, and while you weren't all too sure about babies and children, you found yourself smiling as Papyrus grabbed at your finger with his tiny hand. He'd gotten so used to Sans calling you Chip that he attempt to say it as well though it came out as 'kip' rather then Chip. You found it rather adorable.   
  
And months passed in that manner. Sans would bring you back food from Grillby's and you would watch Papyrus while he worked. You hoped he really did see it as an equaled balance of effort but you felt as if it weren't enough so you would at least still try to clean what you could and convince Sans here and there to let you help him out with whatever you could think of.  
  
  
Eventually at some point you were helping him out at his job selling 'hot dogs'. Sans would get somebody he knew to watch Papyrus and then you'd be all set to go. And although you avoided many gazes, you found yourself befriending a few monsters.

  
You realized slowly that you were happy down here. It was odd to call it 'home', but it made you very happy.   
  
  
The late nights you would sit with Sans on the couch, Papyrus either in bed or happily sitting on the couch, you both would watch a random movie or show though most things on the television would have an odd robot named 'Mettaton' on there. You weren't particularly fond of him, as you felt he was too flashy, but you'd endured the shows. Papyrus was smiling as per usual while watching and you'd assumed this is why Sans would watch these things - because his brother loved them so much.

  
You'd learned quickly that Sans loved his brother more then anything on this place. He'd do anything to protect his baby brother and even flat out told you once that whatever didn't make him happy had to go. You were somewhat thankful then that Papyrus had taken a liking to you and enjoyed your company; otherwise, you felt like you'd be stuck out in the cold with no help. Sans often got up many times a night - and you would know because when he said Papyrus was a hell of a screamer, he wasn't kidding - to both feed him and soothe him back to sleep. You often found yourself considering asking what happened to their parents but you chose to say nothing.  
  
  
You wrote as well. You had your journal and the skeleton provided you with a pencil so you found yourself writing many things along the lines of 'meeting the dead', and 'kissing the land of dirt and darkness'. Odd ways to express your emotions about the situation you guessed but you made yourself happy doing it. Sans would ask if you would read him your writings and though you weren't too keen on sharing your things often, you agreed.  
  
  
Sans would tuck Papyrus into bed, bring you a warm drink and you would read to him. He listened intently and though he expressed some criticism of your work, you somewhat appreciated it.

  
You remember one night you couldn't sleep. Earlier in the day you had expressed some troubled emotions to Sans that you were bothered because you couldn't remember the names of your family, your friends or your own name. He'd tried talking to you about it but he found himself with a lack of words and eventually chose to offer you something to drink rather then tread on the subject anymore.  
  
  
You hadn't noticed it for once but Sans was awake and coming down the steps but you kept your eyes on the snow piling outside the window. You didn't shiver. But you didn't hear Sans approach you either and being you knew it, his arm came to be around your waist and though he joined you by your side, he didn't stay long. Merely all he said in that few moments he was there that making yourself feel like you don't belong wasn't going to make you happy. You felt guilty only due to the fact that you knew he was trying hard to make you happy.

  
What you weren't prepared for was Sans bringing both of his arms around you, and it was brief as he nuzzled his head against your shoulder, let go, and left.

  
  
The next morning when Sans went to work, you realized that you found yourself finding a skeleton your best friend.  
  


**xxx**  


One time he offered to take you somewhere a little different. He wouldn't tell you until you got there, but he cradled Papyrus in his arms gently. The small baby was very giggly and excited that day. It was almost saddening to think of that it would be the day that you lay to rest forever.

  
Sans had told you that he knew a girl that would gladly lend you clothes to wear the first week you were here. He'd come back with lots of long skirts and long sleeve shirts but you were okay with that, you supposed, and wore them gladly. Though he wouldn't say who he got them from and instead told you to just be thankful that you had them. You decided he was right.

  
Sans had led you through places you were unfamiliar with but your stop was a place that tingled the need to write in your heart.

  
The waterfall. Sans had remembered when you told him that you get inspired to write when you saw scenery, and when you admitted sometime ago you were having trouble writing, he wanted to take it upon himself to find a place that would suit your tastes. And it landed you at the waterfall; in all it's sparkling rushing water, your days of visiting gardens was outnumbered immensely. You fell in love upon sight.

  
The mixture of the dark ground, the water glowed beautifully. You could swear it had magic within it. It probably did. You longed to touch it yourself but Sans warned you that he couldn't jump in after you if you slipped with a baby in his arms. You decided to sit by the rushing stream and take in the sight. Your journal was at home but you needed time to take this in before you even considered writing anything about it.

  
Sans had asked eventually by the look of your face if you were enjoying yourself and although you hated to admit when you were excited, you agreed.

  
"Hah, good. I don't come by here often but we can more often if you want."

  
You'd agreed to that without hesitation that time.

  
Of course a scenery like this meant a wild amount of thoughts for you. You began to wonder if you would truly be alright down here. In Sans' home, sleeping on his couch (wasn't the best), and visiting a place like this. Getting used to his own friends and playing with baby Papyrus when Sans did have to work. You didn't mind it all, but you began to wonder if the people you knew as family were worried about you. They were, likely, but their names were as distant as your own.

  
"...I'm trying, okay?" Sans admitted. You looked up.

  
"I know it's probably nothin' like the surface, but...y'know, kiddo. I made a promise."

  
"A...promise?"

  
"...Yeah. To protect a human should they fall here. I thought maybe if I let you stay with me, and I became your friend, that you would be happier. But I always see your eyes go into space," he said as Papyrus took hold of his pointer fingers in his own devious grasp.

  
"And I just know what you're thinking about. You're thinking if you belong here. So I've tried to make it like that."

  
You were silent, and the sound of the rushing water filled the air. You didn't want to reply but you found yourself telling him that you were quiet happy here. Just that you're still struggling to remember your family.

  
"I wish I could help that, Chip," he said. "But...I don't know what to say when you say things like that."

  
"You shouldn't need to reply," you reassured him. "...Because you've never met them. Perhaps in due time I'll remember the names, and perhaps never..." you mumbled. He seemed uncertain of himself before Papyrus let out a rather loud giggle. Neither of you were ever certain what he was laughing at, but seeing him so happy made Sans happy, which made you happy.

  
Choosing to distract himself, Sans snatched up the happy baby in his arms once more and tell him he's just a crazy baby bones today. You laughed at the endearing sight of the brothers and when Sans looks at you again, it was with a softer gaze and maybe it was then that you realized that he really did have a soft spot for you as a friend. It was when you held out your arms to embrace Sans as gently as you could with the baby in his arms that he sputtered for a response.

  
It was out of the blue, but a tender touch of kindness was always what you did when you wanted to show how you felt to someone. And this time, it was thankfulness.

  
"...Haha...keep doing that and I might find you cute," he mumbled as you pulled back.

  
Eventually you rose to your full height to stand, attempted to stretch your limbs out, but when you did, all of the sudden Sans was pulling at your skirt, telling you to get down immediately. He looked worried when you looked down at him and you were uncertain what the fuss was about, you tried looking around to examine what was so alarming though you barely had time to process it before something sharp was sent through your chest.

  
Sans had covered Papyrus' eyes, though when you looked down and saw the head of a spear sticking out of your chest, your tongue fumbled for words.

  
You couldn't say anything. Every time you opened your mouth all you did was make an odd choking sound. You noticed you weren't in pain and likely it was the effect of adrenaline.

  
The first thing you remember through that haze was collapsing to the ground while shaking. You'd landed on your knees, hands raised and shaking in the air. You remember Sans gently setting Papyrus aside, as to avoid having him look at you twitching on the ground once you fell over on your side. The tips of your fingers traced the head of the spear with desperation. What you were desperate for, you weren't sure, but you were positive you wanted the spear to be removed.

  
And that's what Sans did. He looked around for the attacker, as if to try and see if he could attack back though he mumbled a name. A name starting with a U, you remembered for a second. But when Sans pulled the spear out is when you felt the pain though you held your breath to try and hold back any desperate pleas for him to stop.

  
Sans held your hand, you remembered for a third and this time did not forget anything. His bony hand was somewhat uncomfortable as it tightly grasped onto yours, squeezing it though telling you that he didn't know what to do and he wouldn't be able to save you and oh, how convenient it was that you'd die the day he told you he made a promise to protect humans. You remember him crying for a forth and eventually he lowered his head to look away from you. You'd asked with a shaking tongue if it looked bad and he told you to not look down at yourself. He said you wouldn't want that.

  
He told you painfully that you likely weren't going to survive. You wanted to cry, but you didn't. You'd rather accept your fate and thought this might lessen Sans' own pain though you couldn't tell why he would be so distraught over you when you'd barely just known him. You'd stayed with him for a few months, and that couldn't mean he was completely attached to you.

  
You felt as if he knew something he wasn't telling you.  
  
  
You remember telling him for a fifth that he could have your journal to read.

  
You remembered for a sixth when he brought his mouth to your ear when you began to black out for good that he whispered an apology, raised the spear in the high air, and sent it through your neck. You weren't sure what it was, but something purple had appeared before you and shattered.

  
He had put you out of your misery.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The yellow soul, and their little sibling the blue soul.

You really didn't mean to fall in.

  
Oh, if your dad were here he'd have you by the ear and slapped you on the back of your head. You really didn't mean to fall but you have now you were in trouble for good. If only your sibling hadn't followed you into the mountains as well for when you landed on something rather soft though cold, you felt something fall on top of you and a yelp. A yelp you knew well enough to remember a face right off the bat and though you felt as if you were going to pass out, you pushed through the pain the best you could. You were more concerned about your sibling.

  
You lifted your body. The world was spinning but you focused long enough to take in your sibling struggling to sit up on your chest. They seemed fine though their clothing looked more dirty then before and you could only imagine what your own looked like as you reached up to adjust your hat on your head and felt for your pistol in your belt and let out a sigh of relief. You were certain if you laid down any longer you would feel temptation to sleep and in a place like this, you knew you shouldn't be sleeping. So you managed to push yourself up and though you'd already noticed the snow piling up around the both of you, you slipped your arms under your sibling's and lifted them.  
They were crying, but you were trying to soothe them. You weren't much for trying to get your sibling to stop crying only because you were the one often causing them to cry from all the teasing but you found this difficult.

  
You'd fallen down a hole, so, why were you in a place covered in snow?

  
It was cold, and your sibling didn't dress for this type of weather (neither of you had but you did wear a jacket) and held them close to you as you decided to try and find some help. Help to look over your sibling to be sure they were okay. You asked them if everything felt alright but too caught up in all the crying they wouldn't answer. You tried to be tender holding them just in case they were injured.

  
But all you did was stumble around. Stumbled through the thickening snow with no direction known and you could only hope that you found someone down here wherever you were. You didn't really care if you were hurt but your sibling was much too young to be in danger of dying. It drove you to push forward through the snow the best you could and while everything was blinded out by all the heavy snow, eventually you saw a building in the distance. You feet were hurting from all the cold air and wind and it hurt to swallow from a dry throat. But you patted your sibling on the back, told them it was going to be okay and did your best to get close to the building.

  
You couldn't tell, but it looked like a bar of sorts. The sign blinked on the front with the name Grillby's.

  
Where in the _world_ had you two landed?

  
Taking a deep breath, your nose hurting with the attempt deep breath, you got past most of the thick snow and pushed the door to the place open and though it wasn't much better inside right away, you noticed it had a nice warmth to it.

  
The place was empty. Well, almost. You could see an odd guy with a blue jacket sitting at the counter, seemingly tampering with the ketchup bottles. Screwing the lid of one off and your stomach turned over whenever he filled it ketchup from another bottle, screwed the lid back on, and then promptly drank it like that. Though this was rather unappealing and completely disgusting, you knew you had no other choice. You'd found somebody and they could help if they were willing.

  
You thought it perfect and prayed that he was a kind soul as you slowly made your way across the floor to come tap him on the back. Perhaps he was the owner of the place, and perhaps he was a customer but you didn't really care as your sniffling sibling had finally calmed down long enough to relax against you.

  
"Eh - what?"

  
The man wearing the blue jacket turned his head to look at you, but the second you made eye contact with him, you were stumbling back, your sibling suddenly screamed and covered their eyes. You pulled your pistol, pointing it at him.

  
"Whoa buddy," the man - creature thing - had said, raising his hands in the air. "Calm down - put the gun down. Don't take me hostage or anything - Grillby's in the back, so just take the money - "

  
"The hell are you?" You spat, and your sibling whimpered at the sight of the man. He was some sort of skeleton creature, and you were sure with his beady pupils that he had no intention of good. He was certainly a beast from hell.

  
"I'm a skeleton," he said calmly, his grin never wavering. "And you are currently threatening me with a gun. I would like you to..." he looked away, snickering a bit, "...not to do that?"

  
"...Skeleton. You think I'm gonna believe that?"

  
"Ya see my bones, right?" He said, slowly lowering his hands to pull at the collar of his shirt, revealing more of the visible neck bone and your sibling bust into tears once more, hiding their face in your shirt once more. You met the mans eyes once more, ready to fire the aimed pistol, not sure how well it would do against a man made of nothing but bones when someone came out of the back hearing all of the commotion. The skeleton pulled his shirt back into place as the door swung open.

  
A man made of flame. You weren't sure what the hell was going on anymore and were beginning to believe you'd landed in hell when after some compelling talk from both the (silent) flame man and skeleton, you lowered your gun back into your belt and told your sibling reluctantly that you believed these people were good people. They didn't look up, but they had stopped their trembling and nodding at you. They didn't look at either of them.

  
The skeleton offered up the seat next to him and while you were cautious, you sat down, your sibling tightly wrapped in your arms, and you listened to him.

  
He had a very, very convincing voice.

  
"Listen, kiddo," he said. "You gotta know about the Underground, right?"

  
"...Yeah, they taught us about it in history," you replied quietly. "It's the biggest subject out of all of them."

  
"Well then I get to cut the chase. You're here. In Snowdin. Welcome, and don't pull a gun again," the skeleton warned. "Because if you do, others might not take to it kindly."

  
"And...I just somehow landed here? No. No, this ain't right - "

  
"How'd you fall down here, anyway?"

  
Your sibling had tried to reach for the ketchup bottles the skeleton was messing with before but you gently bat their hands away from them as you explained what had happened. More like one of your favorite cattle had somehow fallen behind while you and your father were herding them into fresher grounds. You loved that cow especially - Ethel, the sweet beauty - only because it was the one you had bought yourself a while back at a market. Ethel was an orphaned calf, saved and cared for and brought up by humans solely when they realized that the cow that had given birth to her had fallen sick. They'd tried restoring her but the poor mother could hardly rise to stand and instead of letting her suffer, with no chance of recovery, they had put her out of her misery.

  
Ethel was a beautiful brown and white; purely your favorite cow. You were immediately panicked when you realized she was gone, and, by chance your father said he thought he saw her in the group just by the mountain you were passing. And when it struck midnight, you had risen out of the safety of your warm bed to go search for her yourself to bring her home and yet when you were leaving, your sibling had awoken and demanded they'd follow, or they'd scream and tell your father.

  
You'd chosen the former.

  
So you told them to shut their mouth and keep quiet and you'd went along the mountains to examine everything you could. You knew calling Ethel's name might be useless but you tried anyway. You'd even climbed a little bit of the mountain to try and see if you could find her maybe higher up and though you were warned not to go near here, you'd quickly learned why when you tumbled forward and down a hidden hole you hadn't seen. It seemed your sibling followed suit, and you both had ended up down here, alone, and now with the skeleton and with the flame man.

  
"Uh...huh," the skeleton said. "So...ah, better get the question out now before anything else: you wanna go up?"

  
"...Well, duh."

  
"Good. You've got a gun, so killing will be easy."

  
Both you and your sibling had looked up at him and though his smile seemed stuck like that, forever there, it widened.

  
"Listen. Long story short, you kill a monster and you get their soul. You need both a human soul and a monster soul to go to the surface. But," the skeleton continued, "you'd have to leave one of you behind. Either your sibling goes, or you. Unless you'd rather do a double murder?"

  
"I..." you sputtered for words but found yourself a lack of them.

  
"Who's the baddest monster?" You asked. "If they're a bad guy, then killing them won't be too bad - "

  
"Ah...that's your solution, huh? Kill a bad guy and murder becomes okay. Listen," he said, "it's a justified reasoning but even so, no one down here has ever really been a criminal. So you're out of luck."

  
"...S-Seriously? Not one person?"

  
"Nope. Not that I've heard from."

  
You were searching for more answers cause surely you couldn't just be stuck down here with no help but you were lacking any ideas because you couldn't go and murder someone who was innocent. What the skeleton said was right - the reason you jumped to that conclusion so easily was because killing someone who gave others pain would make things easier. If you were a criminal, then, as your father taught you, you always had some price to pay on your own head.

  
"...Kiddo, relax. What's your name?"

  
You looked up and met his gaze. He seemed to be waiting for a response, as if expecting it from you but you merely sighed, lowered your head to look at your sibling. You didn't want to give any detailed information about yourself but you supposed a name was just a label. So instead of being stubborn, you were honest.

  
"Dub," you said. "I'm Dub. And this," you pointed to your sibling, "is Delta."

  
"Dub and Delta..." the skeleton snickered. "Well, I'm Sans. Sans the skeleton, if you couldn't tell," he said.

  
"...Nice to meet ya, bud. Sorry for earlier," you said in reference to when you'd attempted to threaten him with the pistol.

  
"Eh, I guess I don't blame ya," he replied, and suddenly the man made of flame looked up and at Sans, and Sans sighed.

  
"Now, Grillby?" Sans looked out the window. "It is getting kind of late. I left Papy home too long...well, see ya," he said, sliding off of the stool and immediately you panicked, looking to him in realization that out in that kind of snow storm, you'd never see him again. You slid off the seat as well, reaching out to grab him by the shoulder.

  
"Wait - " you called, stopping him completely, "wait, you can't just leave us."

  
"Eh? Whaddya want me to do, kiddo?"

  
"C-Can't you...can't you help us? Maybe find somewhere to stay?"

  
"Me?"

  
You almost rolled your eyes.

  
Almost.

  
"Yes, you. I..." You paused, looking around the room while trying to think of some excuse to absolutely let him help you both out though you realized it didn't have to be forever, only due to the fact you were holding the perfect answer in your arms. Children always persuaded situations and deals and just maybe you could use Delta to your advantage.

  
"Delta - please, they're so young. I can't just stay out in the cold and I can't leave Delta alone."

  
The skeleton seemed moved, although did not buy it quickly enough. You continued.

  
"I'll do whatever it takes. If you give me a roof to sleep under, I'd...I'd clean the dirt off your floor with a toothbrush."

  
The skeleton snickered. You suspected he was enjoying this.

  
"...Really now. You mean it?"

  
Swallowing your pride, you nodded. "Every word of it, mister."

  
Sans eyed the both of you for a moment, as if considering himself and the circumstances but eventually you thought you saw something like mourning cross his features as he took a deep breath and shrugged. Silently, he turned, and your heart dropped as he walked to the door.

  
He opened the door and the cold air blew in. You had looked down at your feet in disappointment although -

  
"Kiddo, Grillby just might expire if we keep going at it like this in his place. I buy your story so just crash at my place, I guess."

  
"Seriously?"

  
"Yes, seriously. Now come on before we let all the heat out."

  
Well with a man made of flame you could only assume it wouldn't be too hard to warm the place back up but you quickly followed the skeleton back out into the deep snow, holding Delta close to you as tightly as you could to help them stay warm.

  
Knowing your circumstances, your stomach had twisted once more at the thought of you being stuck down here forever. The skeleton had said it plainly to you and for some reason, with a demeanor like Sans had, it was hard to not believe him. He presented himself trustworthy so you could only pray that he was as he said and he would keep his promise of somewhere to stay. What he would have in exchange though, you didn't know, but you couldn't help but keep one hand hovering over your pistol as you walked through the deep snow, Sans not that far ahead of you.

  
You felt as if you were being watched, is all.

  
**xxx**

  
"I said we could have an exchange. Anything you want as long as we can stay here," you said, sinking against the plush and somewhat overused couch. Sans had brought you a warm drink while Delta had laid down beside of you and, with a spare light gray blanket that Sans had brought out, covered themself with it and sighed.

  
Sans had eventually began to talk to you a little more about potential monsters you could frame as bad but none had a true justifiable reason to lose their life and slowly, you were losing a lot of hope. There was a good chance you'd probably miss out on being hit upside the head for leaving at midnight with your sibling and although you'd prefer not to be yelled at, you'd do anything right now to have your father at your side and Ethel found or not. You did dearly love the cow, but you would rather be at home in your bed with the handmade quilt your mother made you before she passed away, safe and not a worry going through your head.

  
But it seems you'll have to be getting friendly with a skeleton.

  
"Nah, don't worry about it," Sans said. "Really. Don't."

  
"...Mister, are ya sure? We are staying in your house - "

  
"As long as you're not a freeloader, I could care less what you do or don't." Sans looked at you as you raised the warm drink to your lips and took a sip. You weren't fond of hot tea, but it was warming your core at the moment and that's all that mattered.

  
"But if you really want to contribute something, I have a younger brother upstairs sleeping at the moment. He's not exactly a toddler and I can leave him alone if I know I won't be gone longer then twenty minutes but it still makes me nervous. He's a good kid, and he doesn't cause much trouble."

  
"So...I guess what you're saying is that you want me to watch him?"

  
"And let your sibling, if they want, play with him. He doesn't have very many friends...which is to say, none. We're the only skeletons around and most children don't really bother him. But y'know, he's super bright. And smart on top of that. He's a good kiddo."

  
"Well...yeah, Delta is kinda the same. They have friends but they seemed to pick on them a lot. I'm not that good of a big sibling either. I'm just...well, I guess I contribute to the whole bullying factor a lot too."

  
Sans laughed. "Well, what're little kids for then?"

  
You couldn't help but crack a smile as well.

  
"You're not wrong."

  
"But, anyway," Sans continued. "You watch my brother while I work, and everything's fine. Papyrus is sleeping at the moment so in the morning you guys can talk to each other," he explained, and then let his head touch the back of the couch with a sigh.

  
"Is Delta a good kid, though? Even if they get picked on, do they fight back?"

  
"Nah, Delta is violent. Doesn't particularly like rough housin' a lot."

  
"Huh. Papyrus tends to try and play rough some times but feel free to tell him to be nice. I don't want to make your sibling feel like they have to put someone else's comfort over their own."

  
"I will."

  
Sans stretched out his bones, yawned, and then pushed himself up and off the couch. It was when he was pulling off the blue jacket of his when you took notice of the beautiful leather bound book sitting on the arm rest next to where Sans had been sitting. Curious, you'd carefully leaned over your sibling to grab the book. It seemed older, and the leather was beginning to be worn out, though the second your hand barely brushed the book to grab it, Sans had snatched it off the side, and sent you a glare.

  
You were a bit startled, especially whenever you thought you saw one of his eyes glowing blue, but you hadn't looked long enough to tell. Sans had shed his blue jacket and tossed it onto the floor though the book in his hands were now tightly grasping the leather.

  
"...Uh...I mean, did...you wanna read?" Sans said, suddenly laughing it off. "You can read this one, it's just..."

  
You swallowed harshly. Sans noticed that.

  
"It was given to me a by a friend of mine before they died. It's kinda special to me, so...if you read it, just be careful with it."

  
"Y-Yeah..." You stuttered, uncertain of what to say. You'd been suspecting something was up with Sans though he didn't seem like a bad guy. Maybe just overly somewhat posessive of his things.

  
Sans reached out and handed you the book but by the face he was making, a forced positive, he didn't want to put it anywhere near your hands. You gave him an appreciative smile and Sans sighed, saying that he was heading upstairs to bed and that maybe you should try and get some rest as well. You agreed, and you weren't sure what else to say as he walked up the steps and gently Delta had stirred in their sleep but you were cautious.

  
You wondered briefly who the book belonged to and how they died, but that was a subject, given based upon his reaction of you even touching the book, that you shouldn't try to ask. Or think about it. It's a subject you should drive far, far away from your mind.

  
You slept that night on the couch while holding Delta to you. You were shaking, cold, and the house wasn't providing much warm but you could only assume as skeletons they didn't need a lot of warmth. You wouldn't assume that bones could feel something like temperature.

  
And when you awoke next, Sans had said that there was probably some dry cereal or something in the kitchen and to eat whatever the hell you so desired. You'd fixed Delta something to eat while Sans and you had talked a little more then you had the night previous.

  
Sans was very curious about the life you lived as a farmer, but your conversations were cut short whenever he had to leave for work. You'd asked him what his job was and all he said was "selling 'dogs". Whatever that meant. Hot dogs, maybe. You weren't really surprised for someone like him that that'd be his job.

  
"Oh, and by the way..." Sans said as he turned to you, about to walk out the door.

  
"Don't go outside. There's more I gotta explain to you when I get back but basically, humans are a prize hunt down here. You walk outside and I can't promise your safety. There's a chance that Undyne might catch you."

  
"Undyne? Who's that?"

  
Sans glanced away briefly. You caught it before he did, but he was unsettled at that question.

  
"...Like I said, I gotta go, so I'll tell ya later."

  
And with that, he left.

  
He'd introduced you and Delta to Papyrus this morning. He was an energetic kid and instantly took a liking to Delta and while Delta wasn't all too sure about him in return, soon enough they were playing with some toys from Papyrus' room. You could hear them from downstairs and kept an ear out for them while you looked out the crack of the closed curtain.

  
You'd really wondered what all of that meant before he left and why he didn't tell you this last night that if you went outside, or Delta went outside, that you would be hunted by someone named Undyne. On top of that, as he said it, he seemed distraught. You reflected back to the night before as you adjusted the hat on your head and patted the pistol on your belt. You frowned slightly, tracing the wood of the table.

  
Well, this was boring.

  
But really, Sans did say something about a friend dying and gifting him that journal. You thought that maybe this Undyne person would have some sort of connection with the death of that friend. You were certain there was a connection there but no solid evidence so far. And he did say that humans were hunted, and not monsters, so surely the person that was killed and owned the journal had to be a monster. You didn't particularly want to investigate this but this was one interesting side story about Sans. He seemed very nice, but he also seemed like something else.

  
Getting away from the window, shutting the curtain fully you returned to the couch and grabbed the remote. Sans showed you how to work the TV before you left and you couldn't be anymore thankful. TV was a foreign concept in your household and the only time you got to watch some was when you had visited a friend.

  
When the TV came on, you did raise an eyebrow in confusion.

  
It was a game show, hosted by an odd, odd calculator robot.

  
_...It's not like anything else has made sense down here._

  
**xxx**

  
It stayed like this for a month in total.

  
You'd casually read the leather journal whenever Sans was gone though the things inside were quite weird. You'd been taught through school that monsters had never seen the surface since the day they were sealed away but you were sure, by the sound of the poems and stories that the person who owned it had seen the surface before. It was only at the very last of the pages filled with words that they were about things in the Underground. The person was very beautiful in their words and surely, you thought, that a human couldn't have written this.

  
They couldn't have. A human couldn't have come down here before and been killed by someone.

  
Undyne.

  
Sans had talked to you about Undyne. A very young woman just barely entering her teens that had been accepted into the Royal Guard of the king to hunt the souls of humans. Whenever a human was spotted, they were to be killed, and the soul taken to the king.

  
And it was then that you didn't even let Delta see the outside. In fear, you'd woken up Delta one night and gave them a knife you'd taken from the kitchen. They asked why you were giving it to them as you taught them how to use their belt as a sheath. You didn't want to scare them, but you explained softly that just in case danger comes, they could protect themself from it.

  
Delta and Papyrus had become best friends within that short amount of time. Papyrus did rough house but for once, Delta seemed to enjoy it. They played back just as harshly and you couldn't help but let a smile twitch on your lips as Delta came through the winner. You couldn't help but smile whenever Papyrus hugged you at random times. He was incredibly young. A little younger then Delta, after all. 

  
You and Sans had especially become closer as you and he often filled nights chatting away about farming. You said that you mainly helped with the animals over helping with the fields of greens and veggies. He asked if taking care of animals was a fun job and while you said it was, it could be difficult. The chickens were mean, and the roosters often would have none of it. Unless you were bringing them something to eat, you had to run for your life if you entered the pin.

  
Sans had wondered allowed if maybe he should join and help that one ghost who ran a snail farm. He reflected briefly about it being very popular but nowadays he's hardly heard anything about it. You laughed and said if he did, you could totally show him the ropes. And with a shy response, he said he'd like that actually. Though it made you flustered, you kept it to yourself as you talked about Ethel, the cow that you had lost and ended you up down here.  
  
  
Although things had seemingly had been steady, you did tell Sans that you planned to go back up to the surface. He tried to talk you out of it somewhat, telling you that even if he was going to target people who had done something wrong that they didn't deserve to die. Your attention directed over to Undyne, who seemingly was the one hunting you both and instantly you made the connection that you were natural enemies. You asked Sans if Undyne would be a good target and although he seemed unsettled to answer, he said your explanation made since and that maybe you could try.  
  
  
You didn't want Delta to grow up stuck Underground without their friends and without your father. They'd already suffered the loss of your mother and they had taken it very harshly that day. You were pained most of all, even to the point you did something pretty awful to your own father after that. Your mother was quite the jewelry collector and with the money your dad earned from working and growing crops, he bought your mother beautiful expensive diamonds and jewels. But her favorite piece of jewelry was her beloved locket that had a picture of her and your father inside on their wedding day.  
  
  
When your mother died, you had stolen the locket from your father. Though he wanted to keep it, and was very upset by the loss of it to the point you almost returned it, he kept the rest of the jewelry but did give you and Delta one piece of your choice. You remained silent about the locket, hid it away, and took another piece of jewelry. You felt awful about it but the locket was the closest thing you'd ever have to your mother again. Sure, you had another piece of jewelry that belonged to your mother, but the locket was just different. You couldn't explain why, but it was.  
  
  
You told all of this to Sans and while he had nothing to say, he reached over to you and patted your back once he realized you were beginning to cry. The locket was back home, still hidden, but you could only imagine your father drowning in grief of the loss of two children and his wife. And you said that. At that, Sans had fully embraced you and said that you didn't have to feel awful for that choice. That you were lost in your own mourning and made a mistake. It was brief, but he nuzzled your shoulder and while you were embarrassed again, you had laughed and thanked him for the comfort.

  
Well, you were beginning to like the skeleton, was all you could say.

**xxx**

The day you both were doomed was the day that you had gone outside of Sans' house for the first time since you arrived. It was an unhealthy habit to stay in but you were spooked of the warnings on Undyne.

  
Really, it was Delta's fault as suddenly you heard the front door open and close. You'd taken a nap so you assumed it was Sans coming home from work but when Papyrus came down the steps to ask you where Delta was, your eyes shot open in realization. You didn't want to believe it, but you checked around the house just to be sure, but it was true.  
Delta had left the house.

  
Where they got the courage from, you didn't know, but you told Papyrus to stay in place. You told him to lock the door to the house and to not leave no matter what and don't answer the door unless it was Delta, you, or Sans.

  
You'd left in a hurry to try and find them and monsters were looking at you as if you were insane. You were practically all over the town of Snowdin but you had to face it that you had no idea where you were, or what direction would take you where. But monsters were at every turn and though they were confused and looked scare of you, and you could only hope that they were kind enough to help you should you need it.  
  
  
You called out to Delta, nearly screaming their name and all you could think of was Delta being held by some maniac with a spear, ready to kill them and that was your worst nightmare. Your hand was on your pistol the whole time but you weren't going to pull it openly and hold it out in front of you. But you had it at the ready just in case you had to fight some blood thirsty beast off. Because you weren't going to allow a single person to lay a finger on your sibling.

  
Surely monsters were frightened of you either way as you ran up to them to ask if they've seen a little kid running around and although you got vague answers, finally, you were told by one odd monster that they thought they'd seen a child with a knife run near Grillby's. You didn't remember the location all too well but using the familiar sights of the place, although freezing, you ran to find Delta.

  
But when you arrived at Grillby's, you let out a sigh of relief as Delta was sitting outside, legs crossed, and their knife in hand.

  
"Delta!" You'd shouted. They looked up at you, and gently you smiled back. You'd made your way over to them and quickly plucked them off of the ground and held them closely to you in excitement. You hugged them tightly enough that they complained that you were hurting them somewhat but you held on and kissed the top of their head endlessly. You knew you should yell at them, probably ground them if you had that type of authority at the moment but you didn't. All you were thankful for was their safety. You supposed you should explain a little more about Undyne and why they couldn't leave the house like that.

  
Though you let up on them, not even bothering to fuss at them, you couldn't help but let out a breath of surprise as air left you. You weren't sure what was causing the pain in your chest, or why Delta wasn't freaking out that blood was quickly blooming across your clothes as you looked downward, dropping your sibling as you shook.

  
Delta had stabbed you.

  
"...H...H...Hey..." you mumbled. "What's with...this?"

  
"...You want to kill monsters. You want to kill them so we can go back," Delta said, and their sweet little tone of voice enough to put you off.

  
You still weren't angry at them.

  
"You're the bad person. You deserve to die."

  
"D...Delta...I wasn't gonna kill...anyone..."

  
Delta shook their head, and they seemed sad. They really did. Tears brimmed their eyes and you could tell they didn't want to do what they did, but you never knew what a hypocrite your little sibling was. A murder, barely above the age of ten years old.  
  
  
"You were always such a liar. You lied to dad when he asked you if you took mom's necklace that one time. You think I didn't know about that? I saw you hid it. I heard you tell Sans. Mom loved that locket and when she died, that was the last thing dad held dear. The only thing he had left and _you_ took it."

  
"Delta..."

  
"And you lied again when you said you weren't going to look for Ethel. Who know's what happened to her, but you won't find out."

  
"You..."

  
"And me? All those times you made me cry? All those times you told me I won't fall in love because I look gross?"

  
Your jaw frantically worked to give a reply though you found yourself failing. You couldn't say anything and the mere betrayal of your sibling was the only factor besides the knife that was killing you. Delta waited for you to say something but you were collapsing to your side. They'd likely struck a lung, or your heart. Who knew but you were shaking badly from the cold of the world and the light leaving your eyes. Delta stood over you, nearly proud of themself. They reached downward to kneel beside of you, and you yelled out loudly when they twisted the knife in your chest. You could hear your own skin ripping as you clawed at the ground.  
  
  
They didn't stop until suddenly they screamed loudly. You couldn't focus well enough but they were falling to their knees as well.

  
Your lips twitched into a smile as you saw the spear sticking through their chest.  
 

 _Good_ , you thought. _  
_

  
Though you hung on the best you could as you thought you heard Sans rushing to your side, something bright blue shimmered in front of Delta and scattered into pieces. Odd, you thought. Sans had quickly turned you to lay on your back and patted your face, calling out your name but you couldn't feel your tongue anymore to give him a final response or goodbye. Your tongue was numb. With the last of your energy, you slowly took off the cowboy hat on your head and laid it on Sans' head, laughing under your breath despite it being painful.  
  
  
And that was the last thing you could do as something yellow, vaguely appearing as a heart like the light blue one you had just seen, shattered before your eyes.

  
**xxx**

  
"Are you alright?" The woman's voice from the other side of the door asked.

  
Sans slumped against the door, tears going down his face at a pace he could hardly control. He shook his head. She couldn't see him, so he could always lie. She'd asked a couple of times as you talked to each other through the door but you weren't sure how to reply anymore.

  
"...Yeah. Yeah, 'm fine." He said as he distracted himself by gently rubbing the straw of a dirty cowboy hat on his head. A bloodied knife was tossed aside in the fresh white fallen snow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up, the green soul.
> 
> Also, itstrickstersugar.tumblr.com if you...wanna follow me or something.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The green soul cooks Sans up a meal.

You were really wishing you decided against climbing the mountain.

  
You were young for a cook, but you were told your meals were the greatest people have ever tasted. You didn't have an official place to work at yet, but you were job searching like there was no tomorrow now that you've finally graduated school. You searched places like mini cafes, restaurants, and even roadside home-style cooking places when you came to the realization that you weren't ever going to find a job by yourself. And the places that did have job openings were usually for things besides cooking. It was then, after your eighth visit to a food related place that you realized the only way you were going to be happy in a job was if you opened your own place to make food.

  
And while you wanted that, quite frankly, you were flat broke.

  
However, you did know a building for sale. You had decided to keep an eye on that building while you took a job of a janitor at a food place a little far from your home. You weren't very happy doing the job, but you were paid decently enough and you frequently checked in to see the building though after a few months of working did you ever realize that it would take a lifetime of this job to try and buy a nice place like that, clean it up, then make more money at this dumb job to try and fix the place up, buy paint, buy furniture and things to cook with...

  
That was, until a major job opening came from a very fancy restaurant. They were looking for a cook who could use one specific ingredient you knew how to work well with and instantly, behind the backs of the job you worked at, went to apply for it.

  
You were surprised at the near instant reply. They had said for you to come and demonstrate your skills and you were extremely happy to have gotten the opportunity. With one delicious meal made to perfection later, they had happily granted you the job. And from then on, you were quite the well known chef around town. The young teen coming out of school, just barely over the age of eighteen, making meals that were even blowing the minds of food experts.

  
You couldn't have been more happy until the day you noticed that specific ingredient was gone from stock. You'd asked another chef what happened to it and they explained that they had ran out and, sadly enough, the most popular item on the menu would have to be removed until you could get more in. When you asked how long it would take, they said the place they ordered the ingredient from came from across the seas, so a few months at the least.

  
Although, they were certain to add in that the same plant the ingredient was made from could be found growing on the mountain near the town. You were hesitant, couldn't believe you were doing this, but you had decided that night after getting home to scale the mountain, find the plant, pick as much as you could and make the ingredient yourself. It would be a little bit of a drive but anything to prevent that restaurant from losing business. Because if you lost business, that would mean a big take away on your pay.  
The process to make the ingredient wasn't hard. It would take a plant or two to master but otherwise, not hard. You were carrying a decently sized wooden box that you had used sometime ago to move into your own home up a huge pile of dirt and rock practically and by the time you had found the plant, you were exhausted.

  
You'd picked plenty of it. You'd noticed though when you first peered inside the box that somehow both an older apron and a pan was at the bottom. You assumed that when you moved to your own home that you forgot to remove them from the box but it was fine, you thought, as you placed the plants into the box. Though when you had turned around to walk back down the mountain, you stumbled and suddenly found yourself falling down a long, dark hole.

  
When you landed, it was face first into something cold. Your box had tumbled somewhere next to you and you instantly passed out before you could do anything. But when you woke back up, and you were sitting up on the ground, you realized that you were completely and utterly alone at the moment in a place that was covered in blinding snow. It was bright, and you squinted as more flakes fell around you and you could only assume that you had landed in a place never seen by man.

  
You looked to see if you could find your box but your greens were scattered, the box lying next to your pan and apron that had fallen out as well. Though specks of green covered the snow, they were being quickly covered by the flakes. And with a sigh, shivering, you sat up and rubbed your arms slightly as you slowly made your way to your box and had gathered the pan though opted to leave the apron behind.

  
And why bring the pan? You never knew what was lurking around here. You had to be safe, after all. A pan might not be very effective but you supposed it could be a weapon just like anything else.

  
When you began walking, it didn't take long for you to find a dirt road leading to a bridge. However luckily enough you turned your head to look behind you to examine your surroundings that you found a big door. You weren't sure where you had landed but you happily walked over to the door and pushed against it to see if it would open, but to no avail, it didn't budge. You tried knocking although knowing no one had seemingly heard you trying to open the door before. With a sigh, you shook your head and began to walk away from it whenever you thought you heard a voice say hello. You turned to look at the door once more, listened closely, but no one said anything more.

  
You moved on, being sure to step carefully over the seemingly older bridge though you couldn't help but feel as if you were being watched. You looked around just to satisfy your paranoia but even as you looked you felt as if you were being watched. You saw no one and nothing and continued to move on.

  
That was, until something almost knocked you over.

  
"Ngh - ?! W-What the..."

  
It was reflexive, but you swung your frying pan. A loud thwack echoed through the air before something was making tiny whimpering sounds. You slowly lowered the frying pan and opened your eyes to see a tiny, odd flying creature whimpering at the strike of your pan and instantly you felt bad enough to bring the tiny thing close to you and give it a hug. You were sure to say you were sorry but to be careful not to run into people like that anymore or else they might get hurt again. And with a final nod from the odd, odd creature, it fled.

  
...And then you processed you just hugged something resembling a creature from hell and apologized to it. Maybe you were a little too nice, you supposed. You always were told you were a weakling when it came to confrontation.

  
"Where...what the hell..."

  
You'd recollected your sense and began walking once more although it didn't take you long to notice that you didn't seem to be getting really anywhere. The more you walked, the more snow you discovered. The trees grew thicker and you got even more lost. You were walking aimlessly at this point, frying pan held in front of you and your greens left behind. You thought it pointless now to bring them with you because over all it was a dumb idea. You thought if you just made one small batch of it that it would get you through until the ingredient was here but it seems you have lost everything you've just worked for.

  
You hoped you didn't. You didn't want that. You'd worked so hard for that building for your own restaurant and you didn't want to give up now. All you had to do was fine some way back up, and -

  
"Ah - ?! Ow!"

  
Your thought process was cut off when suddenly you felt your body be pulled back by something - no...someone.

  
They'd thrown their hand over your mouth and began dragging you backwards and though you swung the frying pan with desperation you found it pointless whenever they'd pulled you into the woods. You fought back with everything you had, struggling and kicking and biting at their hand but you realized, soon enough, the hand holding your mouth had an odd texture to it. It didn't feel like skin.

  
"Shh," the person behind you said. "Just - shut up. Don't scream. Don't. Be quiet. Just be quiet, okay? I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm not gonna hurt you, so just relax and be quiet and I'll explain everything."

  
You felt fearful but you nodded. You couldn't see their face but you both were behind a tree. Whoever they were, they were holding on to you as tightly as you could. You could hear the sounds of something cracking in the distance, and the shout of a woman's voice get frustrated. They held their hand over your mouth so tightly it pressed against your nose and made it hard to breathe but eventually the woman had passed, gone, and you felt yourself be slowly released only for the person to grab you by the arms and switch positions with you, throwing you up against the tree harshly.

  
And when you looked them in the eye, you almost screamed.

  
A hell beast, no doubt, was standing in front of you in all it's bony glory. He looked at you with worried eyes though when you raised the frying pan to hit him, he snatched your wrist and shook his head.

  
"Kid - kid, no. Shh. Be quiet. She could be near still."

  
"W...Who're you?"

  
"...It doesn't matter," he mumbled quietly. "I can't tell you."

  
"W-Why?"

  
"Because if I did, you'd tell me your name. And when you're gone, I'd have to remember..." he looked away. He finished his sentence but it was so quietly whispered, you didn't hear it.

  
"...Just...you're human, right?"

  
"Yeah..."

  
"Okay. Okay, that's...I can do it right this time. I can help you."

  
"What?"

  
The skeleton shook his head. "Okay...okay, so...the Underground. You know about monsters and the Underground, right?"

  
You nodded.

  
"Okay, good. Good. Then you've got the idea where you are."

  
The Underground? So the hole you fell down caused you to end up here?

  
"Damn...where the hell is that opening...the only way you can get in here is through there..."

  
"What?"

  
"...Nothing," he said, releasing you but suddenly grabbing your wrist. "Listen, you need to go back up. Now."  
That was a given. You were trying to walk around and find a way back up but it seems the skeleton here wants to state the obvious. You nodded in agreement at him, clenching your frying pan tightly.

  
"How do I do that?"

  
"I'll...I'll take care of your way up, okay? Just...you have to hide. You have to. But...I don't know if Undyne is near by..."

  
"Who?"

  
"...No one. Just don't worry about it, okay? Uh...let's see..."

  
Suddenly the skeleton was taking off the jacket over his body and holding it out to you.

  
"Here, put that jacket on. Pull up the hood and cover your face the best you can."

  
"Why?"

  
"Don't ask - " he nearly snapped, though when he heard someone not that far from where you two were standing he sighed. He quickly took up your wrist again and suddenly began pulling your further into the woods, all the while telling you in a low whisper to keep your head down and allow him to guide you somewhere safe. Your first instinct was to not trust him, however, he seemed to be protecting you from an unseen force.

  
You didn't know who Undyne was and why this skeleton seemed to be so on edge about her but you kept your head down like he requested. Something told you that this Undyne was the whole reason you'd felt like you were being watched as you walked. The skeleton though, while making you look at the ground so your face was hidden told you when to hop, when to turn with him, and when to completely stay out of sight.

  
Even though you couldn't see much while in a big jacket with a fluffy hood, you were in fact warmed up a little from before. You wouldn't assume a skeleton could give off body heat but it was warm. You really did wonder who the skeleton was and why he seemed so dead set on helping you but you had no choice but to trust him.

  
You grasped your frying pan tightly in one hand and allowed him to pull you out of the thick of the forest and through it, when you lifted your head slightly to examine your surroundings, you noticed you'd come to a rather small town. A lot of monsters were around although not like the skeleton you've met though they didn't blink an eye at him. But when the skeleton saw you peeking with your head up, he told you to put it back down and you did.

  
You walked for a short distance until finally you heard a door open and the skeleton nudged you inside of wherever he had brought you. Eventually the door shut and he said you could take off the hood.

  
And when you did, you noticed you were in an odd little house.

 

"Sorry..." he mumbled. "Sorry, you're probably really confused."

  
"...Y-Yeah," you replied. "B-But who are you - "

  
"I can't tell you, okay, kid? Listen," he said as you walked further into the home. You'd assumed this was his home, after all, though when you met his eyes as he let you in he didn't seem to want to let you in here. You'd begun to take the jacket off to hand it back to the skeleton when suddenly you found his arms going around your waist and his head buried against your shoulder. You were put off by this and loudly squeaked, though when you noticed he was crying you couldn't help but feel your stomach turn over with concern.

  
"H-Hey...c'mon, you're really freaking me out. Just tell me who you are, okay?"

  
"I can't."

  
"Why?"

  
"You'll tell me your name. And when you die, I'll have to remember it."

  
When the word 'die' was spoken, you couldn't help but feel your heart lodge in your throat. Immediately you were pushing the skeleton away and he blinked in surprise. He didn't really seem to recognize why you were bothered until he thought it over. He wiped at his eyes a bit until he laughed slightly.

  
"I mean...it's just..." he tried explaining. "I've...uh...lost...a lot of..."

  
And after a few seconds of sputtering, he sighed.

  
"Please don't make me explain it. Just don't, okay?"

  
"But I'm in your house, you could...at least tell me your name, you know?"

  
The skeleton seemed to consider it. He looked like he was in deep thought until you looked around the place. It was messy and oh boy if your mother ever saw a room like this then she would have you on your knees scrubbing the wood so harshly it could magically gain the ability to make you see your reflection. Though it wasn't too bad other then just the dirty clothes and such. Otherwise it seemed that the skeleton seemed to keep the place clean. It was when you began to move forward that he spoke up again.

  
"Sans."

  
"Eh?"

  
"Sans."

  
"Sans what?"

  
"That's my name. Sans. Sans the skeleton."

  
You turned to look towards him though when he looked saddened, you merely smiled and on the nearby table, you set your frying pan down to hold your hand. The skeleton seemed skeptic but eventually took it to give it one, firm shake. It didn't put him in a better mood but he also did seem appreciative of the kind contact.

  
"Syzygy."

  
"What?"

  
"That's my name, sir. Syzygy."

  
Sans suddenly snickered. "What's that mean?"

  
"Syzygy is an alignment of three celestial things. It's rare, but commonly the alignment is the earth, sun and moon. You can call me Syzygy if you want but people also call me Sid for short."

  
"Huh. So what you're saying is... _you're out of this world_?"

  
Though it was a dumb pun you laughed and he had joined you. You couldn't really believe his sudden change in attitude but abruptly Sans seemed to lighten up a little. You supposed you really had put him in a better mood and though you weren't certain, you reached out to gently pat the skeleton on the back after he released your hand. Though he was still obviously a little unhappy, he'd after that had shown you around the house.

  
You'd asked shyly if it was alright if you stayed here and Sans had reacted once more oddly to that question.

  
"You can, but...you gotta make me a promise first."

  
"Yeah?"

  
"...A lot of people...well, that I've known, have gotten hurt recently. And killed. So if I let you stay here, you have to promise me you will not leave this house no matter what. You have to stay in here at all times. Even if I leave and I don't ever come back for years, you can't walk out of here. Okay?"

  
And that was what spooked you. You'd asked why, but Sans had given a crummy explanation of that it wasn't safe right now for anyone like them to be freely roaming around without care. And though it certainly had scared you. It really did, but Sans did say you didn't have to agree to it if the idea made you uncomfortable. He called himself out on acting really weird. Especially when he snatched you up and out of the woods and practically led you here blindly.

  
"Yeah, uh...bet that was real creepy. But...I'm just trying to protect you."

  
"I...I suppose I get it."

  
"So you'll agree?"

  
What other choice did you have? Leave, and be in whatever danger Sans was stressing about?

  
"I do. But, uh...we'll make a compromise."

  
"Yeah?"

  
"I like to cook. In fact...that's the whole reason I was climbing the mountain."

  
And you'd explained to him your story after Sans had settled you both on the couch. About the dream of your restaurant and about the job opening. How you were accepted and you'd been cooking for people who'd tasted gold shreds on their food practically and that now that you were down here, you were worried you were about to lose all of your hard work. Sans had seemingly listened though when you looked up at him you couldn't help but notice the slightly sad face he was making.

  
"...Yeah, that's tough, buddo." He replied though his attention suddenly directed elsewhere. "Hey, what did you mean by compromise earlier?"

  
"Oh yes, the whole reason I told the story. I want you to buy me ingredients so I can still cook down here."

  
Sans made an uncertain face. You felt guilty for asking something probably inconsiderate of his own money (you couldn't tell how exactly good he was doing monetary wise but you could only pray) but you weren't about to give up your passion just because you were stuck down here.

  
"I know...that's probably rude of me to ask - "

  
"Nah, kiddo. I get your drift. I'll buy what ya need. But, in return for buying what you need and to make me get something out of this compromise," Sans said all the while widening his smile, "is that you'll teach me how to bake something."

  
That wouldn't be too hard. You've taught tons of people in the past how to bake and cook food so this wouldn't be difficult. But even so, it seemed like a final deal. Sans seemingly had cooking supplies but either way, you had your pan with you. So at least besides the apron you'd brought something from home with you. So you nodded and Sans laughed ever so slightly.

  
"Well, then...I want to make spaghetti tonight."

  
"Spaghetti? Why specifically spaghetti?"

  
"Hm...it's easy, quick, and fun to make."

  
Sans glanced away briefly. "I always eat out. I never really make food. Now my brother, Papyrus...well, he's been dying to know how to cook food. So...would it be too much to ask if you taught him how to make something too? I mean, I guess since I kinda just jailed you here that you could always do that."

  
"Ah, you haven't jailed me here! I mean...you said you were going to find a way up for me right? So it's not that bad!"

  
Sans looked briefly nervous. You decided to ignore that.

  
"Yeah. Yeah, I guess I did."

  
"Well then! Where is your brother? I'll teach him how to make spaghetti."

  
"Eh, he's probably out and about. Walking and stalking the Royal Guard. I've noticed lately he's taken quite...the fascination with them. Not that I exactly approve of it, but if it makes him happy, then I'll let him dream."

  
You raised an eyebrow. "What's so bad about the Royal Guard?"

  
"...Nothing. Just that I don't want to put him in danger. But I'll do anything to make my brother happy."

  
Well, if that wasn't sweet. Sans had said it was a much more serious face then you'd seen previously so you could only assume he wasn't playing around when it came to the happiness of your brother. He slowly fell back into that big grin.

  
"Well, I can say I appreciate having ya, Sid. I'll be sure to find you that way up as soon as possible. But in the mean time...I want ya to teach me how to bake this specific thing."

  
"What's that?"

  
"A quiche."

  
**xxx**

  
When his brother got home, it was like the entire house had lit up with energy.

  
His brother Papyrus was quite the bounding ball of energy who barely took a rest here and there. He was much taller then Sans, but you took note that it seemed Sans was the older brother. When he'd come into the house and saw you in the kitchen with the ingredients Sans and had left and got for you, he'd gasped loudly, then leaned down and over to his brother to ask him a question. You'd raised an eyebrow in confusion whenever Sans had winked at you and whispered something back.

  
"What? Really? Oh, I was certain..."

  
"Nah, bro. That ain't no human. That's a...a...chef."

  
"A chef? Like...Grillby?"

  
"Grillby is more of a bartender but yes, like Grillby in a way. But definitely a chef, not a human."

  
Papyrus had eyed you suspiciously.

  
"Oh...you're right, brother! They're cooking at this very second! I was certain you were pulling my leg."

  
"Nope. Hey, go cook with them. They wanted to teach you how to make something."

  
And at that, you weren't expecting that bouncing ball of energy to come running into the kitchen in excitement. You weren't the most enthusiastic yourself, after all, and preferred silence over boisterously running about. It was practically a little difficult to keep up with Papyrus himself but he was a nice kid. He was always asking questions as you showed him how to prepare the meal. You couldn't help but notice most of the time he referred to himself as 'the great Papyrus' and though you weren't sure how to perceive that about him, you were almost impressed. With confidence like that, you could have haggled the people who owned that building they were selling so you could have that restaurant.

  
By the time the meal was finished and the help of Papyrus had proved to be very minimum, you happily served it to the both of them while you left a rather smaller portion for yourself. A decent portion you should say but there wasn't much to work with in the first place when Sans had come back with all the ingredients he bought.

  
"...So, Sans," you said as you patted your mouth with a spare napkin. He looked at you.

  
"You wanted to know how to make a quiche?"

  
"Hm? Oh, yeah."

  
"Why a quiche?"

  
"Dunno. Heard they were good."

  
You supposed that was as good as reason as any. You nodded and told him about the ones you've made in the past. About how good they were and if he were that curious, whenever he wanted, you would show him how to make one.

  
"...Yeah. Yeah, I think I'd like that," Sans said as he slurped up the last noodle on his plate. You'd offered to wash dishes but Papyrus insisted that he do it.

  
From then on you weren't as uncertain of Sans as you had been when you first met him. He'd brought you a drink after dinner and you'd all piled on the couch to watch an odd TV show. You'd rarely spoken up during that time but Papyrus would happily say things loudly and Sans would only laugh at what he was saying. The laughter was genuine, and his attention driven to him whenever Papyrus spoke. You couldn't help but wonder what had happened to their parents and why Sans was raising Papyrus but in the end, you knew how touchy those subjects were, so you dropped it before you even thought about it.

  
You'd fallen asleep that night pretty quickly. Your body ached from the fall still but Sans had stayed behind to gently cover you with a blanket and whisper you a good night.

  
He didn't seem to be a touchy-feely type of person but for some reason he seemed to try and make up for the surprise he gave you earlier in the day.

  
**xxx**

  
You didn't wake until it was well into the afternoon. You'd slept well, but when you woke up, Papyrus was standing tall over you, smiling down at you with a type of happiness that was nearly contagious.

  
"Chef! We have urgent business."

  
"Huh...?"

  
"We must make more spaghetti - and pronto!"

  
"Eh...why?"

  
"Certainly you have slept past the morning, so it is not time for breakfast. It is time for lunch, and your spaghetti is what shall satisfy the great Papyrus' appetite!"

  
That's how you found yourself slowly explaining to Papyrus that you had little to no ingredients to make more. He seemed disappointed, but you examined the things in the cabinet and found you had just enough to make pancakes. You used the pan that you'd brought with you and though it wasn't the type of pan you preferred for making pancakes, you made use of it and soon gave yourself and the taller skeleton some breakfast.

  
"So, chef...where are you from and why do you stay with my brother and I?"

  
"Huh?"

  
"Sans told me that you needed to stay here for a little bit, but where did you come from in the Underground?"

  
"Uh..."

  
You had no clue what to give as a reply so you told him that you couldn't say. Papyrus seemed put down by that, exclaiming that if the reason you were here was because you were in danger, he wanted you to know that you were not in danger around him and that with everything he had as the Great Papyrus, he'd protect you. You saw the purity of innocence in him in that moment and you laughed slightly and said that you'd appreciate that, but swiftly avoided telling him directly where you were from by saying it was kind of a busy place. For some reason, he'd drop the subject completely and said that coming from a busy place must mean you were here to rest.

  
"Well then, chef, I must be off. I heard the Royal Guard is going to be passing through Snowdin today, so I have to go pretty soon!"

  
"Eh...hey, Papyrus. What exactly is the Royal Guard?"

  
"The Royal Guard? What?! You haven't heard about them?!"

  
He had quite the talent to raise his voice to ear drum shattering tendencies occasionally and you had to wonder how Sans didn't tell him to be quieter.

  
"The Royal Guard is only the most popular of all people! They hunt for human souls for the king, and though a human soul hasn't been collected in years, they patrol everyday and hunt for humans! Oh, yesterday the head of the Royal Guard thought she'd spotted a human around Snowdin."

  
Papyrus laughed loudly and happily. "Oh, in Snowdin! Chef, can you believe this? What if I were the one to find the human? And I presented them to Undyne? She'd certainly let me be in the Royal Guard!"

  
And that whole time you'd begun to realize why Sans had been panicked yesterday.

  
"W-Why does the king want human souls?"

  
"Oh chef, you didn't know? The barrier keeping us monsters from going to the surface can only be broken with a certain amount of human souls. And when he does break the barrier, he'll set us all free! I wish I could find the human quickly...how busy can the place you come from be when you don't even know about all the hype of the soul hunting?"  
You wondered how dense Papyrus really was. You'd merely replied that you were always stuck in the kitchen and he wondered about the world of job working before he quickly ran out of he house. It seemed like Papyrus was a good person, and that much was obvious, but you could only wonder what would happen if he ever found out that you were the human he wanted to get his hands on. Though it seemed he believed his brother on you being not a human.

...And it seems his brother had just saved you not once, but twice.

  
**xxx**

  
You'd cooked meals for them for months at that.

  
You told Sans what you wanted to make for dinner, you'd give him the list you needed and after working he came back with the things. You'd make the dinner and you'd all have casual small talk about the Royal Guard Papyrus was obsessed with and sometimes about the busy place you came from. You were quick to use the place you worked at to describe your 'town' in the Underground and you really couldn't believe how gullible Papyrus could be.

  
Eventually the day had come where Sans had said he wanted to know how to make that quiche he had mentioned a while back. Though your curly dirty blonde hair had grown out during the time you stayed, you'd tied it back all the while telling him the kinds of quiches out there and what he wanted to make in particular. He'd said the one that required the least amount of effort and though you joked all dishes needed a lot of attention, you knew one recipe that wasn't exactly your typical quick and easy but it would suit his laziness, you supposed. You told him what he needed to get and that you'd see him whenever it was time to make dinner.

  
"And that," you said, "is how you make your basic quiche. Now all you have to do is finish it off with a quick..." you trailed off slightly as Sans waited for you to finish. "...45 minute bake and we're done."

  
"45 minutes? That's a long time."

  
"Well...quiches do require a lot of effort, like I said before..."

  
"...Heh, you're something else, Sid," he said as you leaned over the oven to slip the pie inside. With that, you huffed, though you didn't notice the dribble of sweat going down your cheek.

  
"Hey, kiddo, come here."

  
"Eh?"

  
"Lean down."

  
"Eh...?"

  
Confused, you did as told, though merely all Sans did was wipe away the sweat with a loose blue cloth he'd had stuffed away in his pocket. When he put it back, you'd leaned back up, slightly flustered though instead thanked him in a rush and turned around to check if the heat was correct and though you knew it was, you'd made it looked like you were just double checking.

  
During that time Sans had said that you really were a master chef and were fit to work in a place of your own. You'd laughed shyly and said that you'd been making food since you could walk as a baby. Your mother was a great cook and often taught you how to make good food like quiches, pies, steaks, ribs and dinners along that line. Of course that kind of stuff came when you were much older. When you were younger, she was letting you do things like crack that egg to fry in a pan.

  
"Huh...well, I'm glad you passed a little knowledge on to me."

  
"I enjoyed making it with you. You were...a lot more slower then your brother."

  
"Hey, give 'im a little credit. He's super happy to have helped you with dinner."

  
"Heh...yeah, it was fun."

  
You paused as suddenly a thought had risen to your mind. While you really did enjoy your stay with the skeleton brothers and you were happy to have taught them how to cook and make food, you couldn't help but wonder something. You were stuck inside Sans' house, which was not all bad whatsoever seeing as he'd given you things to do. Like let you read this old, leather bound journal full of original things and once you'd taught him how to get rusty stains off of knives. Though that knife you picked up had an odd rust to it, and he'd nearly flipped out when he'd seen you picking it up. It was weird but you assumed he was embarrassed at his lack of cleaning.

  
Otherwise, you weren't bored. But you did have a job to do up on the surface. You were gone way longer then you should have been.

  
"Hey, Sans?"

  
"Yeah?"

  
"Did...have you found a way back up for me?"

  
It was instant how he avoided his eyes away from you.

  
"...I'm still trying, okay? I know you've got a place to work for up there but I really am trying. It's just hard to leave work to search. I do it as often as I can."

  
You believed him but you couldn't help but feel like there was something he wasn't telling you. You remember what Papyrus had said months ago about being able to get to the surface with a certain amount of human souls but surely that was only for monsters. You'd be able to climb up and out of here any time you wanted whenever Sans found a way out. So you dropped the subject, and would never bring it up again after this day.

  
"It's okay," you reassured. "Take your time. I'm having fun cooking what I want rather then taking orders."

  
"The food is delicious on top of that."

  
"Heh...thanks."

  
You'd both talked about your image of the restaurant you wanted until the quiche was done. Sans looked happy for once. Purely happy as you both gazed upon the delicious golden quiche. You were going to cut it and serve it whenever Papyrus had come out of his room and down the steps to claim he was going outside for a bit to watch the Royal Guard pass through. Normally, that was fine, but it was almost like something kicked into Sans. He was pulling off the apron and tossing it onto the counter, claiming he had to follow and that he'd be back as quickly as he could. It was when Papyrus said that Undyne had a trace of the human.

  
Sans had never expressed interest of the Royal Guard before (at least, not heavily ever since he saved you) but he'd run out the door after Papyrus. You'd wondered what the big deal was until you'd remembered that you were in fact the human they were on a hunt for and couldn't help but walk over to the window to peek outside of it.  
You nearly ran out the door at that very second at what you saw.

  
Someone full covered in armor held your apron in front of Sans' face and though Sans was very casual, when they snatched him by the shirt to shake him and seemingly demand something out of him, you couldn't help but make the click in your head. You'd left the apron behind only because you found no use for it at that moment and now months later it's been discovered and associated with you, you realized you only had a matter of time before Papyrus makes things click in his head himself.

  
And what did you do?

  
Sure enough, you ran outside to take the blunt of a hit for Sans when the armored person had swung at him more then once already. They seemed angry at him for whatever reason and though you were certain that he was suspected to have been the one to hide you away, when you landed on the cold snow feet away, you couldn't help but realize what a mistake you had made.

  
It seemed the armored person was coming at you once again so you immediately clicked into gear and made a run for it after scrambling off of the ground. You could hear them behind you and on top of that, Sans' voice, along with the confused questions of Papyrus.

  
You ran aimlessly. You ran as fast as you could and though your lungs burned with the want of relief and rest, you didn't stop. Although when the first spear was thrown, you'd luckily dodged it by dumb luck and instantly had changed direction, hoping you would be fast enough to at least out run them, hide, and then get away from Sans. You didn't want to put him in anymore danger then you'd already obviously have.

  
You'd come to a familiar area and when you did, you were already too late in realizing your surroundings.

  
When you'd come back to the bridge you'd encountered a long time ago, it was a second too late, for you were stumbling over the edge of the cliff just next to the bridge, and you were falling. You screamed the whole way down, crying out for Sans, crying out for him to save you but you'd barely taken in a second breath to scream when you landed against a rock, which promptly broke your spine and bones in half. You didn't remain alive for a moment longer, and green had shattered before you'd died for good.

  
**xxx**  
  
  
Sans sat on the bench with a heavy mind that night. He'd come back after gazing upon the dead body of Sid with remorse and he knew he should have never let them into his house. He knew he should have never introduced himself like he said he would. He knew he shouldn't have ever gotten close to them like he had the others because it would always end up this way no matter what he did.

  
The quiche that they'd baked with him was in his hands. He thought about eating it, and he shook his head before setting it down. He couldn't eat even a crumb off of this without thinking of Sid and if he thought anymore about how sweet, kind and caring Sid was, he'd go mad. He couldn't think of them without thinking of their freckles and messy tied back hair without feeling a wave of guilt come over him.

  
"...I wasn't ready for the responsibility," he said, in reference to the promise he'd made. He'd stood up, and left, leaving the baked dish behind.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans talks to Asgore.

"Four of 'em, eh? Nice."

  
Though Sans felt anxious to do it, and though he knew he should stop himself before he even started, he hadn't. He wouldn't let himself think on the path to a place he thought he'd never set foot on before. He was never questioned the whole way, and he'd lied to Papyrus as he left that he planned on working. From there, he'd made his way to the Core, and beyond the Core the castle where the king hid himself away practically at this point in time, but Sans was blatantly mourning. There was no hiding it from Papyrus, no hiding it from other people and though he'd yet to be caught hiding the humans even now, he supposed with a final burst of confidence to put a word in to the royal murderer himself.

  
"Oh...who are you?"

  
The king had been doing something. Kneeling on the ground, a tiny watering can barely big enough to fit comfortably in his hands. He'd seemingly been watering flowers as he turned around at the sound of Sans' voice. He didn't seem surprised, as he did welcome people freely, but by the look on Sans' face he was already put on edge.

  
"I don't believe we've met. Four of what?"

  
"Souls," Sans said rather harshly though kept his smile on his face. "The only ' _four_ ' of something you'd have."

  
"Well...yes. I suppose I do."

  
He probably shouldn't have done it but he had snuck to where the souls were stored and though the second he looked upon them he felt the undeniable guilt come over him, it didn't stop him from thinking - _what could I have done to prevent this?_   And that question even now remained unknown. He thought maybe if he'd hidden them in his house they'd be okay. He'd let Chip come and go as they'd please, even taking them to work with him, and they'd died. Dub and Delta had hardly come out of the house and during that time they both were safe until Delta had made the decision to plot against their sibling.   
  
  
Oh yes, he'd spoken to Delta before they died. He'd asked them why and though they'd cried out softly and said that they themself wasn't as good of a person as they let on, they'd whispered that they were sorry multiple times over. They'd told Sans they didn't want to do it, that in a moment of courage they had made them. That they wanted their sibling back, and they wanted to say that they were sorry for every selfish thing they'd said. That they were angry and did it out of frustration. And though Sans was upset himself over their actions, they were already dying. He'd pet the child's hair until they died peacefully.  
  
  
And looking at Sid? That nearly got to him, but this time he couldn't blame it on anybody but himself. Undyne was asking him if he knew anything of the apron and likely what triggered them to come outside was her grabbing him. He could hardly drive that image of them sitting at the bottom of the cliff, twitching uselessly before they died. Their body disfigured with broken bones...  
  
  
"...Y'know," Sans said, distracting himself from his thoughts. "Ya see the purple one? That one liked to write. They wrote beautiful things. Things that were written that I had to stop and ask to take a moment so I could take in what was read to me - and you know what? They were killed by _your_ Royal Guard."

  
"Is...that so - "

  
"And the yellow one? That one was happy. I can't describe it, but they were always so...so happy, no matter where they were. They were very happy to work hard, and they took care of their younger sibling. Which happened to be the light blue soul."

  
"I..."

  
"The light blue soul might have killed the yellow soul, but you know what? The yellow soul was still happy dying. Still happy to have made it this far in life. The blue soul was also killed by your Royal Guard. They regretted everything they did as they died."

  
"I'm not certain who you are and why you're saying this, but - "

  
"And the green soul? Don't even get me started," Sans said, though the entire time he'd adverted his eyes. He could hardly believe he was doing this.  
  
  
"You could give them three ingredients and five minutes and they'd have made the best meal you'd ever tasted in your life. They'd worked hard to get their own restaurant for a long time. But...they fell down a ridge, and their spine broke on a rock. How they even collected the soul is beyond me - "

  
" _Enough_."

  
Sans finally looked back up at the king. Though he stood tall with confidence and a certain type of stern-like demeanor was obvious, he seemed remorseful as Sans went on and Sans had a sneaking suspicion it wasn't any new feeling. He'd suspected for a while, knowing the king from rumored previous times, that something wasn't right about what he's done. It was the last thing Sans had expected to see out of someone like him either way; someone who'd ordered these deaths as if he were herding animals.  
  
  
Sans sighed, and shook his head.   
  
  
"You know what I'm sayin' then, big guy?"

  
"...I...do not."

  
Sans looked away again. "Consider what you're doing for a moment. Consider every live lost here. Someone is always going to screw up one way or another, but these kids? They didn't deserve it. Some of them might have done bad things and one of them even turned on their own family, but we've all made bad choices. Anyone can be good if they try."

  
"You're...not wrong, I suppose."

  
"So the next time a human falls down here," Sans began, finally looking up back at the king, "and so help me God I know someone will based on my luck, don't give anyone the rope to pull on their necks. Capiche?"

  
"I - "

  
Sans snickered.  
  
  
"Sorry, sir. I took up too much of your time. Seems your flowers need watering. Buttercups, eh? Those are pretty."

  
Sans didn't even give the king a chance to reply. He'd immediately walked out of there upon mentioning the flowers and though he kept his mouth shut, grinding his teeth, he'd wondered why he did that in the first place. A pep-talk to prevent murder usually never worked but it seemed during that small talk he did get to the king somewhat. Maybe in his head a little. That was his intention, after all, was to put a stop to this madness.

  
And when another human fell down here...

  
Well, Sans of course would be the one to take responsibility. As per usual. He didn't know how much longer he could convince Papyrus that Sid wasn't a human. Apparently whatever Sid told him about this 'busy place' they made up in the Underground, Papyrus had actually tried looking for it himself and claimed he'd never found such a place. It was mildly worrying but thankfully, Papyrus didn't remember Chip, Dub or Delta.

  
But when another human falls, it'd be even harder to keep the truth away. He'd have to keep them out of sight from his brother the best he could.

  
_This is why I hate making promises..._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mini update I suppose.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Were the deaths of the kids his fault, or not?

Sans was almost sure he saw them walk down the hall.

 

Them. _Them_ , the human - _Chip_.

  
He woke up in the middle of the night from one of his more awful nightmares. When he found he was restless and had trouble easing himself back into sleep in the dark and almost unsettling room, he decided maybe going and sitting on the couch would be the best thing to relax. The couch was always the best go-to when he felt tense and upset and it did the trick for him. It usually would put him back to sleep, and Sans would wake up the next morning with Papyrus standing over him, shaking his head in disapproval before telling Sans to move it so he can fix the blanket they tossed over the back of the couch that he just folded the night before.

  
Of course, when he thought he saw Chip move down the hall and walk down the steps with one of their flowing skirts trailing behind them, he had to use every ounce of resistance in him to not call out.

  
But it _was_ them. Glowing in the light of health and no wounds from the spear, Sans felt something jolt in his chest; it could have been happiness, it could have been the last bit of reasoning inside of him pulling at the corners of his mind, trying to get him to snap out of it and to not believe it. 

  
They walked down the steps and went and sat on the couch, and all Sans could do was watch in amazement. In _amazement_ , of all things, as if this delusion was erasing the awful memory of him putting them out of their misery on the ground, when they were writhing in pain, tears covering their face. Sans still didn't call out to be sure, but he found himself for once hurrying down the steps to make sure he wasn't going completely crazy.

  
He got to the bottom step and when he saw Chip sitting there, smiling, making the face they made when thinking about what to write next, he couldn't believe it. He'd made his way across the room with joy filling him thoroughly. He felt somewhat warm inside.

  
When he sat beside them, they didn't look at him.  
  
  
When he talked, they ignored him.

  
When he reached out to touch them, they were gone.

  
When he withdrew his hand, it was cold.

  
Sans briefly wondered if this was his imagination, or perhaps paranormal, but he couldn't care less. He should've known it was too good to be true in the end, and wasn't as disappointed at least for keeping that in the back of his mind. He was expecting his imagination to be acting up but this was just cruel. He'd rather forget about the lost humans, but there was the simple truth that he thought about the images of their dead bodies at least once a day each.

  
He shook his head, lowering it into the palm of his hand and sighed loudly. Papyrus probably would have woken up and seen him if he called out, so he was glad he didn't.   
  
  
Sans wold do anything to see the humans alive again.

  
Sans did regret ever getting close to them. That was one thing he took into consideration when he made the promise to the lady on the other side of the door was attachment. He'd thought, "well, I just won't get close to them", but low and behold he'd went against his own word and was slowly falling apart from it. He didn't know what he thought his plan was in the end. Keep the humans holed up in his house, not let them go outside and when they did they usually died by accident or someone killing them.

  
Betrayal was passed around between the humans, and so was heartbreak, but soon after Sans began questioning where his own loyalties lay.

  
He promised the lady, seeing as she's been nothing but kind to him, but he did want to get to the surface. There was no doubt about it that he did but he knew what that would mean for other people. Someone would have to die in order for that to happen, and Sans has seen that himself. He's had front row seats to all of their deaths practically. But the plan to get to the surface was the key piece of information he's been holding back from all the humans. He wondered briefly if he should have told them to see if it would have changed anything, but he'd never know now. Everything he's done so far has been repetition of the same, failed plan and he knows he shouldn't get himself involved any further. That he should tell the lady the truth, then tell her he couldn't keep his promise anymore.

  
Because if he gets involved with one more human, he might just lose himself completely.

  
Especially when he thinks he sees Dub watching TV the next morning with their feet kicked up and relaxing, and Delta hiding behind Papyrus while Sid made breakfast in the kitchen. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short, sweet filler.
> 
> I ship Sans with the purple soul most of all tbh. Making these personalities and adjusting them to where they could be compatible to get along with Sans, I just feel like Chip's was the best. But like...Sid is a close second. 
> 
> By the by, I do have specific looks for each soul, but since I did tag this as reader insert, you're completely welcome to imagine yourselves as the souls. 
> 
> itstrickstersugar.tumblr.com
> 
> I'm getting close to a 1000 followers so hmu.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This human had only been down there for a few hours, and that's all it took for them to be gone too.

You didn't waste any time exploring once you'd landed in the odd place.

  
Well, needless to say though your tutu was covered completely in cold snow, and though it was melting, it soaked the fabric that had brought you little warmth in the first place. It didn't stop you from looking around the place like you had an unsatisfied appetite for exploration. Of course by that time you'd stayed in the shadows as you walked through a town called Snowdin, you realized that you likely weren't ever going to make it to your show. Especially since you thought climbing the mountain where four people in total have gone before and then went missing was a good idea for clearing your mind and nerves. You were already decked out in your recital clothing and all, but you weren't about to sit back and let yourself freeze to death just because you fell.

  
Oh yes, it didn't take you long to piece things together. You'd fallen into the mountain in an odd hole, and you'd come out to a place crawling with strange creatures and covered in what seemed to be magical snow. Yes, yes, you knew all too well you'd landed in the place where humans sealed away monsters long ago, but from there, you weren't sure how to help yourself other then find some place out here that could be considerably warmer. Should you feel casual about being stuck in a place crawling with creatures you've never met face to face? Likely not, but it wasn't like you were out for confrontation either.

  
And so you stayed out of sight despite your tutu practically being a big black spot in the middle of the snow, and you'd shivered your way past the town full of snowy, fur-covered monsters to come to a place connected to what seemed to be rushing water. It had no source in sight that you could see, but the ground was dark, and the water bright as it rushed past you. Again you shivered despite the temperature change going from cold to somewhat warm. You could still feel the cold of Snowdin's breeze blowing in the direction of where you were by the river, but it wasn't as cold. You could deal with the breeze now that you have snuck past them.

  
You were going back up. You didn't know what it would take to be honest, but there had to be a way back up. And you weren't about to ask for help even if it meant to save your life. You weren't going to make it to the recital, no matter how you put it, as it was only in a few hours time as you climbed the mountain. Though your hair hadn't been properly fixed yet and it's messy curls touched your shoulders, you still felt graceful in your outfit. Perhaps not the most elegant attire you could wear, but you were lost and had no choice but to walk around in them. You hope you weren't dirtying your ballet slippers though; then you'd be in a bad mood, making it to the concert or never performing again.

  
You regretted climbing the pile of rock and mud. You really did. Your biggest performance of all of them, and now you're stuck under the mountain with a bunch of monsters, sneaking around in hopes to not be seen.

  
You've ruined your life, surely. You remember starting dance class when you were merely a toddler but you'd grown to be at the top of your class with much hard work from you. You were always known as the lead dancer, and the one who was always being approached by others, especially people from elite dance studios, to discuss your future of being apart of performances. And this one you had been preparing for so long for had no story in particular but a representation of what the emotion of 'love' was.  
  
  
It was completely original, and you and your team mates had spent well over a year preparing for it. You knew who would be sitting in the audience rows - plenty of people who would give you scholarships for college - and that's what forced you to decide you needed hours to relax. If you screwed up and they disliked it, then, you were at a total lost at what you needed to do for yourself. That amount of pressure made you want to escape for at least a good thirty minutes, and you did live rather close to the mountain, and you'd climbed it before and got into no trouble. So the warnings about people disappearing every time they went, you assumed, was just something said to scare people off.

  
You couldn't believe this. You really had worked this hard, for a year in total, and now you were here with no way out, and your stubbornness was refusing you the opportunity to ask for help. Although monsters had a bad name on the surface, you knew that not possibly every single one would want to hurt you.

  
It wouldn't stop you from defending yourself, either way.

  
You'd just began to walk along the side of the river, everything silent save for the rushing waters when you thought you heard a voice. You paused to see if it continued and sure enough, you heard them again. You looked around for a place to hide though when you saw none, you nearly panicked until you realized there were no footsteps following the voices, and whatever was being said was being repeated. Almost like a soft echo.  
  
  
You looked around to investigate who could be repeating the voice and words whenever you came to a stop along the river, the words loud and clear, and when you looked to the right, you saw a glowing blue flower swaying back and forth in the soft, blowing cold breeze.

  
" _But...I don't know what to say when you say things like that._ "

  
And nearby, another one like it.

  
" _You shouldn't need to reply. Because you've never met them. Perhaps in due time I'll remember the names, and perhaps never..._ "

  
You realized the things they were saying seemed to have a connection. And just to the very right of the second one, another one. It whispered as well, and it echoed what it said, but you had to get close to hear it very well. Close enough that you had to hold your ear up to the very center of the flower to hear it's gentle voice.

  
" _I'm...sorry._ "

  
They were all close together, all repeating what they said, but you couldn't quite understand why. Being underground with monsters, you could only assume they had plenty of things that you didn't on the surface. One of them obviously being talking flowers that continuously with no end echoed what they wanted to say and though you moved forward away from them, you wondered how they worked. You wondered if they were really talking, or were repeating something they'd heard. You didn't think flowers had feelings, so you were going with the latter.

  
You weren't sure where you were headed, but sure enough you knew eventually someone had to see you. So when you got the feeling that you were being followed, instead of running away like most would, you turned around to face them, though when you turned you didn't know what to say.

 

"Fancy outfit. What're you doing in it, anyway?"

  
"...Thanks, slob. Where'd you find your outfit? The dumpster?"

  
The monster laughed, though you realized he was a bit more peculiar then the ones you'd seen before. He wore a big puffy blue jacket with basket ball shorts, though when you looked where his legs were exposed, you saw bare bone there. You'd just come from Snowdin, which was full of fuzzy monsters, so with the jacket you could only assume he'd come from there (you did hear the words 'bone' and 'skeleton' a lot in that town).

  
"...Eugh, stop laughing. It's weird."

  
"So you wondering how I found ya, right?"

  
"You followed me."

  
The monster nodded. He seemed, for some reason, entertained.

  
"Yeah, that. But I'm a sentry in the forest you fell in. I thought I heard a weird noise so I investigated. Saw you trying to blend in behind everything, acting sneaky and suspicious, so I gave in and followed."

  
You nearly wrinkled your nose with disgust.

  
"That's really creepy."

  
The skeleton shrugged his shoulders.

  
"It is. Oh well, kiddo. Seems you're stuck here. What'll you do?"

  
And like it wasn't anything blatantly obvious?

  
"Go back up."

  
You weren't in the mood for conversation and with how full of himself this guy seemed to be, you weren't putting up with it. You didn't have time to put up with it, after all. Surely you wouldn't make it to the performance but that didn't mean you were completely about to fall over and give up. You were a hard worker with a lot of determination to live a life worth living. Your name would be whispered among people as you walked by and you would be praised for the work in your life, be it dancing or not. Even if your dancing career seemed over, you still seemed like you had a chance at something.   
  
  
Something you planned to grab and take without hesitation.  
  
  
"...Really now."

  
"Of course."

  
The skeleton snickered. For some reason, it made your eyebrow twitch.

  
"Have fun with that. You're human, yeah?"

  
"Yes..."

  
"...Haha, _now_ I mean it. You're really gonna have fun with that."

  
You didn't have time for this. You really, really didn't have time to cater to a skeleton who just seemed like he wanted to make fun of you. You weren't going to make the performance and that meant your entire career as a dancer was ruined but you didn't have to take this kind of treatment from something that looked like it crawled out of the ground with its clothes taken from the nearest dumpster. He didn't really seem to care that you were walking away, but when you heard footsteps, you turned back around. He was closer to you but still generally keeping his distance. You didn't appreciate it either way.

  
"Are you following me?"

  
"Yep. Have to."

  
You made a disgusted expression.

  
"What the hell...why? Piss _off_."

  
"Nah."

  
"Why?"

  
"My job. I kinda have to. I was supposed to be on watch for humans but...I don't care, to be honest. I got the job to satisfy my brother, Papyrus." The skeleton looked away briefly but you caught the nervous look.

  
"I'll stick close by ya so I know you're safe."

  
From something like him, you didn't want whatever he labeled as 'protection'.

  
"...I don't need it. Thanks."

  
You began to walk away again though you heard the footsteps again. He was following you, and though you wanted to thoroughly chew him out, you didn't think it would be useful trying. He seemed pretty empty headed, doing what he wanted despite realizing what he was doing wasn't pleasing you. Rolling your eyes, you continued walking with the skeleton close behind. He seemed to do what he wanted and more whining from you wouldn't change anything it seemed. As long as he didn't attack you, you didn't care what would happen to you next. As long as he kept his hands off you, you were okay with that.

  
"The name's Sans," he called out to you.

  
"Nice."

  
"Sans the skeleton."

  
"Wonderful."

  
Sans laughed again.  
  
  
"And you better duck."

  
You raised an eyebrow, stopping suddenly to turn back and look at him again.

  
"What - "

  
He had no time to explain but his smile widened as something knocked you on your head.

  
You gasped loudly, grabbing the side of your head where you'd been hit and turned to see a small, flying creature shake as it waved to you, then promptly knocked you on your head again. Gnashing your teeth in irritation and trying not to cuss as loudly as you could, you swatted at the small thing and told it to 'shoo', though when it didn't you felt the rise of irritation become a little stronger. Though it really was only just lightly tapping you in the forehead, and it wasn't even hurting you, you really didn't want to put up with this tiny thing harassing you.

  
You didn't hesitate to swat at it again more confidently, though the more you just swung your hand in the air as if it were a fly, you could hear Sans' laughter grow in the background. You were being both humiliated and attacked at the same time, in the same night where you've lost your opportunity to have a dance career. You've had enough for tonight, and you didn't have to put up with this anymore then anyone else would have to. You didn't know what the tiny monster was, or why Sans wasn't helping you if he was so dead set on 'protecting you' and grabbed it out of the air. In your grasp, it wriggled, shaking worse then it had before.

  
You threw the tiny beast to the ground.

  
But when you went to stomp on it, foot raised in the air and poised for the perfect landing on its dumb little head, Sans had moved forward, grabbing you by the hand and jerked you back.

  
"Don't you _even_ think about it."

  
Gasping loudly, startled from the sudden unbalanced movement, you'd fallen backwards, although Sans had caught you with ease. He pushed you back to be on your feet but his glare didn't lighten up and neither did your own.  
  
  
"Don't you ever grab me like that again," you snapped back, pushing at him in return and though he didn't seem to keen on you treating him in a manner like that, he dropped it immediately as you glared right through him. The poor thing on the ground struggled to stand and fly but when it did, it fled quickly. You watched it fly away before you turned and sent him a sharp look once more but when you saw he was returning one equally as terribly angry, maybe even worse then your own, you were a little shocked. He had a really unsettling smile on his face from before but the stare was worse then the smile.

  
"You kill something down here, kid, and it'll be the last time you _ever take a breath_."

  
You didn't know what to say, but when you lightened up on your glare, he had as well. Sans studied your features for a second though when he noticed they were painted with slight intimidation of him, he laughed it off awkwardly and shoved his hands in his pockets, glancing away. 

  
"Ah, don't feel down, buddo. These monsters down here can typically be reasoned with so don't jump and think you gotta kill 'em, is all."  
  
  
He was moving on, so that meant you were too. You decided to push that memory far back into the dark corners of your mind, though kept a mental note not to attack anything down here if it moved on you. You swallowed harshly, looking away and around the beautiful scenery that had suddenly become more ominous then it had been before.

  
"So you're saying...more will attack me?"

  
"Probably."

  
You did roll your eyes that time. It was a short answer that didn't really give any explanation, so you moved on. You weren't sure if you could handle being followed much longer by this thing, and even considered doing some turns and twists to throw him off of your path, but you assumed he must know the Underground better then you did.

  
You'd turned and walked away from Sans, but he still followed close, watching your every movement with his beady eyes.

  
**xxx**

  
"Tell me."

  
"No."

  
"Why?"

  
"I don't even know you," you said with a sigh punctuating the end of your sentence.

  
Sans had followed you around for a while now, keeping close and telling you when to take another turn so you wouldn't be seen by a monster that would potentially try and pick a fight. While the help was great and all, Sans was rather talkative. More then you would think for someone who seems relaxed like he was. He was more laid back and more of a slob then he let on for appearance and if he acted any different then he was now you would have thought he was up to no good (you had your suspicions, either way). Well, you won't say talkative, but he had his moments where he could go off on a tangent. He'd stay silent for quite some time until he'd see something and comment about it.

  
And the topic as of the moment was deal with your name.

  
"I told you mine," Sans said, catching up to you when you'd purposefully sped up just then. "So...I mean, that's how ya greet a bud, right?"

  
"...You're not a 'bud' of mine."

  
Sans snickered. He did that a lot - laugh, snort, snicker - everything he could do to just get on your last nerve.

  
"Jeez, kiddo. Don't take this wrong way but you've gotta drop the attitude."

  
"Are you kidding me?" You nearly spat as you turned around, gesturing to your outfit. Your preciously handmade outfit that your mother had sewn for each and every one of your dancers and here you were, in full dance dress and cold. You were yet again reminded of the awful choice you'd made tonight and you did ask Sans multiple times where you needed to go next to get home but he was quick to change the subject. He was definitely avoiding telling you something, but you weren't sure what to do to get it out of him.

  
"I'm in fully ballet clothing, and guess what? No stage. No lights. My dancers are waiting for me back up top. I'm not even there to perform. So even if I get to the surface, it'll be too late. I've ruined everything about a dance career for me."

  
All of your hard work wasted. That was a sentence you've thought of plenty of times so far. You couldn't stop once you'd started only because it was true and due to it being true, you couldn't help but fall into somewhat despair. This was a very big opportunity for you and now, you've ruined it because you thought climbing a mountain was a good idea to relax yourself. All you thought of was soft songs of the birds drifting in the air, the smell of trees and beauty of nature.

  
You didn't think falling into a hole would be apart of that.

  
"Whoa, buddo," he said, throwing his hands up. He laughed - again - and you clenched your fist to release building stress.

  
"Little dramatic, if you ask me."

  
"Drop it," you said, turning back around. Sans began following again.

  
"Y'know, I'm kind of a dancer myself - "

  
"Neat."

  
"So we should jam together sometime."

  
"...With you? Wonderful. Sounds great."

  
You weren't typically like this. You knew you were sounding bratty, but what were you supposed to be like? Over joyed? Thrilled that you had no place to stay with a skeleton following you around, and your dance career burying itself on the surface to never be seen again? You had every right to be mad and irritated, so if he wanted to push your buttons like an idiot would, that would be fine by you. You didn't even think he was as much as a 'nice' monster as he was trying to put on. He was hiding something from you, he wouldn't tell you how to get home yet he claimed to be 'helping you'. 

  
Yeah, he was definitely suspicious. You didn't trust Sans with anything, much less your own life. You didn't care what he did to prove himself. You wouldn't believe that something like him would just jump and help you get back home without hesitation -

  
"Kid - "

  
"You know what? Get lost," you said, though you didn't stop. He sounded somewhat alarmed.

  
"Kid, listen to me - "

  
"You've been following me since the beginning and to be honest, you've been little to no help as well."

  
"Kid, get down!"

  
You didn't expect Sans to suddenly jerk you out of the way when something whirled past your head. You jerked your arm out of his grasp almost right away, nearly frightened once your face was directly up at his own, and though it was brief that you met his eyes truly for once the few hours you'd been walking together, something once again was thrown just barely past your body. If it hadn't been for you moving out of the way when you saw it coming, it might have struck you but you still stumbled, confused, though when you were falling backwards into the river you'd been walking along, you didn't have time to react.

  
The worst part was that you weren't the greatest swimmer, and you'd already breathed in the absolute freezing water out of surprise and panic. You immediately struggled, opening your mouth to scream but only got a mouthful of the rushing, clean water. It wasn't a violent river, but it wasn't slow either. There was nothing to grasp to and you could hardly focus long enough to do anything yourself.  
  
  
The water was colder then ice and though you'd been in there seconds, you were shaking harshly. It had struck you like a whip when you landed in, and you thought you heard commotion on the surface of the water, you couldn't be sure. Your throat hurt, your lungs hurt and you coughed as hard as you could before you went under again, and then resurfaced. You reached out to grope the air in hopes of finding something to hold on to, but to no avail, you were slipping further down the river. 

  
Of course when something was grabbing you and immediately pulling you up you didn't resist, though when you felt your precious clothes rub up against the dirt ground you weren't pleased with it. But at the moment you were more focused on trying to get the water out of your throat and nose, struggling to take in a clean breath without cold water getting in the way. Something was patting your back roughly, and though the hits hurt, it was helping you cough up the water. You were drenched, trembling to an alarming degree and you could barely focus on your surroundings with how much your vision was shaking.

  
"It's gonna be fine..." you heard in a reassuring voice and easily recognized it to be Sans.

  
"You're shaking pretty badly...but I'd rather have you be chilled to the bone then have you speared."

  
Sans stood slowly, though you felt his bony hand on your back. He looked around for a moment before getting back on his knees to raise your face. You met his eyes again, but your vision couldn't focus in on his enough to register that he was talking to you. It took a few seconds of thinking over what had come out of his mouth to process fully in your head.

  
"C'mon, kiddo. You'll die like that. Can ya stand?"

  
You tried, but you nearly stumbled again. Sans grabbed onto you easily. Though you were much taller then him, he slipped himself under your arm and did his best to keep you up while you were walking.

  
"Well...bitch at me all ya want later, I guess. But I ain't about to let ya die on me any time soon."

  
The worst part about it all is that now you owed him something. With a flash of light, you found yourself in a much, much different place then the outside.

  
**xxx**

 

You woke up when you felt someone shaking at your body.

  
You didn't quite remember what happened fully at first until you felt around the cushion underneath your body, looking at your clothes and suddenly the memory came flooding back in. Your head throbbed and your body was no longer wet, but still cold.   
  
  
Sans had taken you back to his house. How and when you got here so quickly, you didn't know, but Sans had helped you sit on the couch and told you to sleep for a while. He mumbled something about someone not coming home for a long time so you should be safe to sleep. Though you were freezing, you were in no condition to deny yourself sleep after almost drowning like that. It all had happened so quickly even the memory was hard to believe. It was a blur. A rush of time that happened too fast for you to understand.  
  
  
You'd lost your dance career, humiliated by a skeleton, attacked twice, and almost drowned in one night.  
  
  
Your friends weren't going to believe this if you ever saw them again.  


When you woke on the couch, drier then before, Sans had offered you a change of clothing while he dried the couch. You weren't particularly happy with changing into clothes that weren't your own but you couldn't deny that you wanted out of the ballet outfit. Sans had brought out a little yellow outfit for you from somewhere hidden in the closet in his room. Black leggings, yellow skirt, yellow shirt...you weren't a fan of yellow, but this yellow was paler. It was more of the bearable shade of yellow so you'd taken the clothes and changed out of the soaked ballet clothes and into the outfit. Anything was better then being cold and miserable like you were just now despite the sleep restoring your strength and a thick warm blanket placed over your body. 

  
You wanted to ask why Sans had these clothes, but you chose not to. They seemed somewhat old anyway, as if they hadn't been touched in a long time and they'd certainly been collecting a lot of dust sitting somewhere in this house. You assumed it could belong to perhaps his sibling if he had one, or a friend of his. You wanted to ask why he even did it in the first place, but you weren't stupid. He wanted something out of you. Why else would a monster save a human? Wouldn't he be happy seeing you die? He obviously wasn't as genuine as he wanted to seem.

  
"So," Sans said when you sat on the couch. "Better?"

  
"...Yep." You sighed. "So what do I owe you?"

  
"Owe me something?"

  
"You saved me for a reason, right? Did you want something out of me?"

  
Sans seemed puzzled by the question. You thought it was because he'd been caught in his scheme but eventually he shook his head, keeping the confused look there.

  
"Nah. Where'd ya get that notion? I saved ya because..." he paused briefly, looking away as if not knowing what to say. "...Ya needed savin'?"

  
"...Right."

  
"Although," Sans said. "Since ya seem like ya think I'm doing good things because I want something from ya...you could, always, in exchange, tell me ya name."

  
He was a persistent little rat. But somehow, your aggression towards him from earlier, ever since he'd let you step into the home, had become a little less upfront. You found yourself somewhat respectful now.

You hesitated, but you guessed for being rude, and not to mention thinking he'd do something like save your life just because he wanted something, you owed him your identity.

  
"...Estival."

  
"Eh?"

  
"Estival. That's my name."

  
Sans hesitated. "You're serious?"

  
"Yes?"

  
If that wasn't rude of him, you weren't sure what else would be. Your mother always had a weird taste in names. Your dog's name was Java, and your brother's name was Chief. Chief was much older then you and had moved out of the house by now but he had been looking forward to your performance tonight. You realized that was just another person to throw on top of the people you were disappointing tonight.

  
"...Human names have always been so weird to me."

  
"Like you've actually heard any."

  
"I have."

  
"What? Bullshit, you're under the ground. You can't know that much about humans."

  
"Dub, Delta, and Syzygy are the names I know."

  
They sounded nearly as ridiculous as your own. Incredibly, actually, because someone honestly named their child Syzygy.

  
"How'd you know them?" You asked, curious.

  
"...They fell down here too, duh."

  
You paused.

  
"There are other humans here?"

  
"There were."

  
"They left?"

  
Sans nearly laughed, but you'd caught the mourning look in his eyes before he spoke another word.

  
"They're dead."

  
It was bluntly put. You didn't want to investigate on it though you would bet it would be on the person that had thrown the spears at you. Whoever it was, when you asked who had done it, Sans had said someone that wasn't quite understanding what they were actually doing. When you went to ask more questions, Sans suggested you take it easy and just watch some TV. You did almost drown, after all, and your body needed a little more time to recover before you were ready for that type of talk.

  
Surprisingly, for once this night, you agreed with him. Sans offered his jacket to you when you shivered. Though you were wrapped in the blanket once more and your eyes focused on the TV, you found yourself taking it from him.

  
It was warm.  


**xxx**

  
You were left alone after that. Meaning, quite frankly, Sans shooed you out of the house, claiming that if his brother saw you then he'd be a little suspicious of him and that was the last thing he wanted. You asked why as you were pushed out the door, and all he said in a rush was that his brother had quite the hobby for hunting humans. He doesn't quite know that he's met one before, but he isn't a complete idiot and probably could put two and two together. He could lie to him all he wants but nonetheless, his brother Papyrus isn't an idiot. In some ways, he added on. He was sure to take his jacket back from you in that process.

  
So where were you?

  
Their damned shed. There was a dog bed, dog bowl, treats and dirt in the room and you were freezing. It had no heat, and the walls offered no protection from the cold. He didn't give you anything warm to wear or cover yourself with other then the stupid clothes he gave you earlier, and that was just some thin, frilly material. Sans promised he'd come back for you. That you'd just have to sit in here for a while and wait for Papyrus to leave the house again.   
  
  
You'd sat in there for what felt like hours. You rubbed at your shoulders, still feeling sick from earlier, but you'd prefer the cold and dreariness over being dead in a river. So you began to do what you could to gather heat for yourself, which was huddle in a corner and try to trap your body heat in the best you could. It didn't work all too well, and though you kept peaking out the near window to see if someone ever left the house, you didn't see much in general. Sighing, your breath coming out in clouds, you didn't know how much longer you could take this.

  
You wondered how your team was doing. You wondered if your dancers were angry at you, or have realized by now that you had gone missing. It had been more then a few hours, and you were sure it was well past starting time for the performance. Your mother could be in tears or could be shaking in her room, wondering where her precious child had disappeared to. You didn't really want to think about these sort of things in this manner but your heart clenched roughly at the thought of people being upset over you.  
  
  
Maybe the dance wasn't what you should have been worrying about.

  
At that thought of your mother weeping and your friends crying in despair as you obviously weren't there to answer your phone or be found anywhere, you'd grown sick of waiting. You couldn't justify how long it's been since Sans stuck you in here, but when you began to shake so hard you couldn't even feel your lips, you decided you were done.

  
You walked to the front of the shed, swung the door open, and promptly left the place without another word. You didn't think Sans knew you had left the shed as you walked along the familiar path that you had taken earlier, but when you came to be back around the same area of the water you came from earlier when you met Sans, you realized you weren't sure where to go. You weren't sure if it was even safe to be here, but you kept your distance from the water this time. The thought of it made you shiver once more.

  
You didn't know if the person who tried to throw the spear at you was still lingering, but you were lithe. You were a ballerina, and you could use that to your advantage. If you were attacked, you could always just dodge and run. Sans had made it clear to you that you were not to kill anything if it attacked, and for some reason with that tone of his voice and the look on his face made you want to listen to him -

  
"Well! You look new to the Underground!"

  
And you froze.

  
"...Who..."

  
"Whoopsy! Down here!"

  
You looked around on the ground, wondering it was a tiny monster perhaps, but when your eyes laid on a smiling, golden flower, you weren't sure what to think about it. You supposed there could be flower monsters among the many monsters out in the world, but you didn't know how to react to it's friendly face and tone.

  
"...Yes. I am," you answered. "What are you?"

  
"I'm Flowey! Flowey the flower!"

  
"...Alright then..."

  
"Don't worry," the flower said, "I'm going to help you! You want to go back up, don't you?"

  
"...Yeah."

  
"The skeleton wasn't going to tell you the secret, but...I will!"

  
You were listening then. Getting on your knees, you lowered yourself to not be so much towering over the flower but rather kneeling in front of it to listen. You just knew Sans had been hiding something from you and how this flower knew, well...you weren't sure. You weren't sure how it even knew Sans wasn't going to tell you the truth, but it didn't matter. You suspected something was sketchy about that skeleton since the beginning. He likely wasn't even going to come back and get you out of the shed. He was just going to leave you there until you left.

  
Well, if that's the case, his plan worked.

  
"The skeleton didn't want you to kill that monster because...that's the way out! You see, monsters like that are...are evil. And they harass the good monsters."

  
"...Really?"

  
"Yep! And when the monster is defeated, you can take its soul. But, you can't do that with the little evil ones...you have to go for the boss monsters."

  
"Boss monster..."

  
"Like the king! Or Undyne. Say, that's actually a good idea! You look tough, and I'll guide you, okay?"

  
You blinked. "What?"

  
"Let's go stop Undyne! She's...she's one of the more _evil_ ones. She almost got you with that spear earlier! I know it was her."

  
And you somewhat wished you caught the hesitation in its voice, or how it looked away from you with nerves in its eyes. It seemed anxious, and yet you didn't catch on to it. All you did was nod at the flower, thinking that maybe this wouldn't be too hard and when you made it back up to the surface, you could always arrange another performance with your group. You could open your opportunities back to you and you could be a dancer again.

  
However, it's when you turned around that you felt something tangling around your ankle. You turned around, glancing at the green vine covered in thorns curling its way around your leg. You nearly panicked, but when you looked at the face of the flower, it smiled at you with the same innocence it had before.

  
"Or...maybe I could just take your soul?" It said in a low voice, looking away, smiling.

  
You could've responded if you weren't suddenly jerked to the ground, the breath in you being thrown out and suddenly, you were wishing you hadn't left the shed, and you had waited longer for Sans. Especially when more vines came and wrapped itself around your neck, pulling hard and grasping tightly. You gasped for air, hearing the blood in your head rush and thump in your ears. If it weren't for the almost drowning incident earlier, you might have believed this was all a dream.

  
And when you heard your own neck snap under the weight, a dark blue light exploding in front of your eyes, and everything went dark, you realized you weren't going to be able to plan any dance routines anymore.

  
**xxx**

  
Sans found them with thorns and bruises on their neck.

  
He'd just barely touched their face and though his sense of feeling was dulled with bones, he felt their cold skin. It was almost icy. Their eyes were closed, but mysteriously enough the soul was missing. What looked like spears had been thrown into the ground were nearby, so he couldn't assume anyone else but the king had the soul now. He sighed, gently pushing himself off of the ground and turning away from the body.

  
_...Make that five dead_ , he thought.

  
And only two more before he completely failed to keep this promise. And however many more came when they were all on the surface.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> itstrickstersugar.tumblr.com
> 
> I worked on another fic called Seafoam for months on end for another fandom and it just recently...like two months ago got 200 kudos. May I say I've only worked on this for a few weeks and it's exceeded the amount of attention Seafoam got. Well, Seafoam got a lot of fanart in the end tbh.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flowey has a game for Sans.

"I...gotta be honest with ya," Sans said, leaning against the door, head touching the door with a large sigh.

  
He'd really been avoiding this conversation for a while, especially when he saw the last body of the ballerina. Estival, was it? It was a disturbing sight to see their body covered in thorns and their limbs all out of place. Their lithe figure was now distorted and destroyed.

  
There was no explanation for what had happened, and Sans had tried to make a match to the killer. But there was no one out there that could have choked them to death by vines, or someone that could cover them head to toe with thorns. They would have to be strong and sneaky, maybe even charismatic for seemingly how easy they were able to get to them. And definitely something apart of the ground rather then able to walk. A plant monster, he thought, before it registered in him he's never seen one of those before. Save for the Vegitoids, but he didn't think those would choke a kid to death. They couldn't do damage like that.

  
Either way, even if a plant monster did exist, they could just hide themselves away and resurface anywhere. It'd be way too difficult to predict and catch them.

  
Seeing Estival in that condition made it even worse since he gave them Chip's clothes. Two bad memories clashing together made one awful life to live. He didn't know if he could possibly make up for what he's done, as he fully takes credit for each and every death that's happened so far. Sure, it wasn't his hand that had choked Estival to death, or his hand pushing Syzygy over the cliff. He didn't stab Dub, nor did he spear Delta. Same to Chip. All of these had just been incidents where he's looked away from them for a second, and he'd find them dead the next time he saw them.

  
"You've been off lately," the woman said through the door. "Perhaps this is what's troubling you?"

  
"...Yeah."

  
"Is everything alright?"

  
"I'm fine," Sans said, his voice low and weak. This was going to be just as hard as he thought. Maybe even harder. "It's just...I thought there was one way into the Underground. Which is where you're at. The Ruins."

  
"Yes...?"

  
Sans took a deep breath. Boy, he had a lot of explaining to do.

  
"It isn't. There's...there's somewhere at my side...where people can get here too."

  
"How...do you know this? Has a human fallen?"

  
"...Several."

  
"Oh dear...what's happened to them? Do they live? Have you protected them?"

  
"I really tried," he admitted, surprised to hear his own voice shake abruptly. An unusual feeling washed over him, and he couldn't help but feel regret whispering to him everything that came out of his mouth. A willing possession of grief.

  
"I really did. I tried so much, in every way I could to protect. It's when I look away for a second that they..."

  
"...Yes?"

  
Sans hesitated. Maybe this wasn't the best way to put it, but it was the truth. He'd been hiding things from her, and his own promise was slowly crumbling to pieces. It was awful. He didn't even know her name yet he felt guilt pulling the strings of his mind. With a deep breath, he continued his sentence when he thought he heard a worried sound come from the other side of the door.

"...They die. Three of them died by stabbing, one by a cliff fall, and...another by being choked."

  
And the woman fell silent. Sans waited for her to respond, but moments later when he heard thumping footsteps fading, he nearly pounded on the door out of surprise. He tried to call out to her softly, laughing ever so slightly and eventually when he realized she wouldn't come back he tried telling her he was sorry for all the mistakes that's happened. That he really wished it wasn't his fault but it was because he put himself in charge of them.

  
He made himself responsible for those kids and now families live on the surface, grieving over the loss of children. Publishers would never know the honor of meeting Chip, and Dub and Delta's father would wonder what he had done wrong to make two children of his disappear after his own wife was gone. People would desperately crave the food that Syzygy made and a crowd left disappointed the night that Estival was supposed to perform.

  
What was he supposed to do now? Even if he stole the souls, which was always an option, would returning them to the bodies of those kids even be worth it? Would they wake? Or are their bodies too destroyed and harmed to make the determination they needed to rise again? He didn't know where the bodies were or if he still had time to save them but now, he knew, it was too late. Only because the idea of him sneaking into the castle to steal the souls would not only get him a death warrant, but also it's crime that's not something he could recover from easily. The kids were dead, simple as that, and there would be no rescuing. If he couldn't do it while they were alive, then, what makes him think he could still do it now?

  
This was ridiculous.

  
"Boy, you look like a corpse lying there against the door! Stay there any longer and I might take the opportunity to make it that way. Not that you would last long, but at least I get a show."

  
Sans looked behind him at the sound of the unfamiliar voice, fist clenched and ready to attack when his eyes were met with a tiny, happy yellow flower that greeted him with a pure smile.

  
"Ah, don't worry," it said. "I don't particularly care about killing you. You jumped around fairly quick, y'know? I gave up trying that a long time ago. You're practically the only one I haven't!"

  
"What do you - "

  
"Nothing. I'm just saying. Anyway," it said. "So the human. What happened to them? And the soul?"

  
"What're you?"

  
"I'm a flower," it said with sarcasm tainting its voice. "Obviously. What happened to the kid?"

  
Sans blinked when both pieces came together to make two. He didn't quite want to think it, but upon realization that this would be the exact criminal he's looking for, he merely tilted his head in confusion.  
  
  
"You killed them?"

  
"Duh. I'm the only one around to do so. But you wouldn't remember me, Sans. I'm sure to make it that way. Are you gonna answer me...?"

  
"I dunno," he said. "I dunno what happened, but you - " Sans' fists clenched even tighter. This was the killer? A tiny, gold flower that seemingly was too innocent by first glance, only to be met by the most savage of words? It seemed so relaxed about it as well, as if the crime they committed weren't even a crime. Like it was something casual. Like it wasn't even a sin, but in reality Sans supposed in the Underground it wasn't for a human. But Sans also couldn't just gather it up in a flower pot and return it to the king and claim it was the killer. For one, he would look crazy. And two, it wouldn't matter who killed who just as long as the king had his hands on the soul.

  
"I killed the human," it said, a smug look on its face. "And they disappeared. More like I had a spear chucked at me, and I slipped away. I come back to get the soul a little later and both the body and soul are gone. Weird, huh?"

  
"Why them, exactly?" Sans asked.

  
"Eh? They're _human_ , silly. And they're just so...dense. They're _ridiculously_ gullible."

  
"...True," Sans said. That much was honestly a given with humans, but he had to admit some of them weren't as dumb as they looked or acted. He's had quite a few examples, especially with Chip and Syzygy, but in reality none of them seemingly got through the heads that they weren't safe out in public. Well, Chip dying was more so his fault for them going outside, but as for the rest of them, they didn't seem to get the hint that outside was not a safe zone for humans.

  
"But, that...you're justa flower. You can't...you couldn't have killed a kid like that, yeah?"

  
"It's easy," it said. "Easy enough that I find myself tempted to do it again with you. But you'd just zap away. If only that stupid warrior girl wasn't there I might have gotten away with it...what does that stupid king think he's doing with those souls?"

  
" _Obviously_ ," Sans said, just as sarcastic as the flower had been with him, "something more worthy then what you plan to do."

  
It was a promising plan the king had, but his process was ugly. The despair spread through the Underground like a disease and his pacing with the steps was slow. And all of it didn't excuse the deaths of the children, but Sans had to admit that it did seem like the only way for them to go back up. If the king were to take just one soul and exit the Underground to collect more and plead with the humans, he likely couldn't take on the results by himself. Even with the power of two souls. He would be killed in no time, and for some reason Sans suspected that was the last thing people needed here.

  
"You think I have a plan?"

  
"What else would someone - or, something - want with a soul? You're up to no good."

  
"...Hah, you don't need to know about that. But even if one soul slipped out of my grasp, I won't let another."

  
Sans narrowed his eyes down at the devious little flower. How could something so little be so evil?

  
"What do you mean?"

  
"Let's say," the flower said, narrowing its eyes back at him in return before looking away briefly, snickering. "Let's pretend there's a human down here right now. You wouldn't know about it because they came while you were sleeping on the job as per usual. Let's pretend that I'm going to be looking for them, and if I find them before you, I kill them too. If you find them before me, then I'll leave 'em alone...until they just get out of your reach."

  
If Sans had a hear, it would have stopped beating right then.   
  
  
Another human had fallen? When he was asleep? He didn't even see them, or hear them, oh god. He didn't even know what they looked like but a human was an outstanding speck among monsters. All he would have to do is jump around the stupid Underground and somehow haul them back to safety. He'd pound and bang on the door if he had to because at this point, all he wanted to do was bring this human to the Ruins so the woman there could take care of them. They could be safe there. No dangers lurked at the ruins anymore, so they didn't have to worry about getting hurt. He'd just have to lie and say there was no way back up.

  
"Be on the lookout for me, Sans."

  
It winked at him with satisfaction derived from their short chat, and it was gone. All Sans did was blink, and it was gone. The dirt and snow weren''t even disturbed where it had sat.

  
Sans realized he didn't have time to care about that. He really didn't. The flower did say 'let's pretend' but that was just to get a rise out of him, for sure. He had a limited amount of time to find the human and when he did, he couldn't introduce himself. He would only talk pointedly to them. He would urge them to go to the Ruins if the lady allowed it. He supposed he hadn't thought of that, if she'd open the door for them, but that was a possibility he could think about now.

  
Though all determination had been taken from him a long time ago, Sans found himself moving from where he stood, wondering where he should look first.

  
And made the mental note that if he saw that flower, to pluck it from the ground and throw it into the lava of Hotland.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm having surgery tomorrow and I wanted to go ahead and put this out here
> 
> I want to cry, I'm so scared of doctors. ouo
> 
> itstrickstersugar.tumblr.com
> 
> I'm literally 20 followers away from 1000 so like...hmu.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And now, Flowey reveals it all.

You were somewhat intrigued when the flower had popped up and started talking to you. At first, you had mistrusted it immediately seeing as you've had nothing but encounters with monsters that wanted to hurt you and though all you did was throw a punch or two with your gloved hand before slipping away unnoticed, you were appreciative when the flower started to explain the missing gaps in your understanding. Where you were, to be more exact, as you were unsure before. Slowly, after it had introduced itself and you had come to like the kind, friendly atmosphere it gave off, you were lowering to be on your knees so you could be more closer to it.

  
You couldn't really give an explanation as to why you climbed the mountain other then you were a brat that decided to give your stubborn parents a scare by going a way for a bit. Just for a little bit, you thought. A day or so and you'd come back pretending that you had gotten lost and you were scared. You wondered where you could go that most people wouldn't suspect you'd gone to, and low and behold you'd looked up from your soda you were drinking in the small diner you liked at the time while thinking about the possibilities to see the looming mountains distance.

  
_Perfect_ , you'd thought. The mountain would be perfect. Despite all the warnings you'd been given in the past since you were a baby to how old you were now, you found yourself taking a liking to the idea more then you should have. Even if you'd been told many, many times not to go there. You were told about all the children that were lost there before and that if you entered the area of the mountain, you'd surely be lost too.

  
But you doubted anything could really, really go wrong.

  
That was until you were falling down the hole and landing in the cold snow, and when you stirred from the fall and saw your surroundings you weren't sure what to think other then you'd found the perfect place to be at and no one would find you here. Sure, the second you saw the skeleton sleeping not too far away from you, you were alarmed. He looked pretty frightening, with his grin in his sleep and all, and you decided that you weren't going to mess with him.

  
You were careful not to wake said skeleton that was sitting under the frost covered wooden station of sorts, and quickly running off in a direction that you weren't entirely sure you were going.

  
You kept running. Past all the snow, past all the glowing flowers and rushing water to find yourself coming to a place that was very, very warm. You'd ran past a lit sign that said 'Welcome to Hotland' and boy, did the place live up to its name. It was scorching even. You were glad you were wearing a tank top, and it was much more bearable then the cold of the town 'Snowdin' that you passed through. You'd stopped to catch your breath when the little yellow friendly flower had popped up to greet you.

  
"So then," it said with a warm tone. "What's your name?"

  
You eventually smiled back with it. All previous mistrust had slowly drained away and you found yourself reaching out with no caution to gently touch the petals of the flower Flowey. It didn't seem bothered by it, but knowing it had its own personal preferences you decided to draw your hand away just as quickly to reply. You weren't sure what kind of flower it was but you were sure you've seen them before somewhere on the surface, near your own home even, but you never wondered the name of them.

  
"Wren," you answered without hesitation. You were certain Flowey wasn't a danger to you. If a flower could do some serious damage to you, then you couldn't trust anything here in the Underground.

  
"Well then...howdy, Wren! Welcome to the Underground! Why would ya wanna visit a little old place like this?"

  
"Uh...well, I didn't mean to end up here, to be honest with ya."

  
"Aw. Really? So you got down here by accident?"

  
"Yeah."

  
"I see," Flowey said, sympathy filling its tone instantly. Flowey was almost like the friend you wished you had. Except, he was a flower. If he weren't a flower, then maybe he would have been the perfect friend.

  
"Well, don't worry! I'm your pal! So don't feel alone. Now then," it said, its smile never wavering. Its petals were rather soft, floppy and healthy to the look and touch. You wondered how it stayed well with little to no sun down here, or even how it was watered, but you decided not to question it. You sighed.

  
"Well...I just feel kinda stupid, y'know? My parents are always pressurin' me to do something productive. I mean...I have a job, I'm going to school, and I help around the house whenever they ask me...but they still keep telling me I gotta get into a good school. To have a good life n' stuff."

  
"Uh-huh," Flowey said, looking sympathetic as you rubbed at your forehead in frustration with the palm of your gloved hand. You weren't sure how it did it, but somehow Flowey had come closer to you. You didn't see it move, and you wondered how something like it could even move, but so far nothing down here has made any since. You somewhat felt like Alice in her Wonderland, but this place was much darker then any card army chasing you back home. Flowey was your Cheshire Cat, save for the fact it made a lot more sense.

  
It nodded its head at you.

  
"You can tell me everything, Wren. I'm your friend."

  
"...Yeah," you said. "It's just...the night before, me n' my parents got into another one of our fights. I keep my grades up n' all but apparently that ain't good enough. I gotta bury myself in scholarships and look at schools whenever I'm not knee-deep in homework or being a waiter at work. But I'm a straight-a student, I joined clubs that help out with academics, I have constant awards for minor and major things coming my way always...but it's never good enough for them. So eventually, not too long ago, I got interested in the wrestling club at school."

  
"Ooh, that sounds fun!"

  
"It is," you admitted. "It really is. I started lying to my parents about staying after to study. I was watching the team, and it really seemed like a lot of fun. So...I ask the coach if I could try out. I did. And...well, I got in. But that was just the problem. Since I got in, I knew I was in a world of trouble with my parents. They were gonna kill me, but I never told them."

  
You paused with a sigh. "Well...I did last night."

  
"Oh no...I can guess they did like it all too much, huh?"

  
You'd barely noticed the vine creeping up your shoulder, but you guessed this was Flowey's way of being reassuring. It had no arms or hands, so like the vine was a mimic of a shoulder hug. It was unusual, sure, but Flowey was just such an inviting creature that you found yourself finding comfort in it rather then inching away out of it.

  
"Nope. I was actually supposed to be in a wrestling match tonight, but I decided to blow it off by runnin' away. Never went to school this morning. I just...took off with the clothes on my back. It took me nearly the whole day just to walk to the mountain. I didn't even think. I didn't think about getting food, or packing clothes." You were really hearing how stupid you were sounding to be honest. Saying it outloud was enough to make you embarrassed of yourself.

  
"Well, of course I planned to come back, but...I just wanted to scare 'em. Y'know...kinda make 'em realize how they were makin' me feel by just...disappearing. With no trace. I guess I fell and ended up here, haha..."

  
"Wren," Flowey said, his expression slowely falling into be a pitying one. "That's really sad. I'm sorry your parents pressured you so much. You should go back up and make up with them!"

  
"Y-Yeah...I want to. I kinda see how petty I was being anyway. I guess I shoulda just...told 'em how they make me feel, but I had to go and...do something pretty extreme."

  
"No no, Wren! Don't feel awful," Flowey said as the vine that was creeping up your side finally rested over your shoulder, draped there. It had thorns, but they weren't very sharp. They weren't pricking you anyway, but you were sure to be careful of your movement so they didn't. Flowey likely couldn't control that the thorns were there, but you were suddenly getting the idea of how the flower moved about. Flowey gave you a gentle smile, kind and warm, before he continued to talk.

  
"I know how to get you back up," Flowey said. You gave it a skeptical look. It laughed happily at the expression you made before the vine gave you a very, very soft pat so the thorns wouldn't hurt you.

  
"I do! It's actually kinda simple."

  
"Really?"

  
"Mhm! All you gotta do," Flowey said, giving you another gentle smile. You trusted it so easily that you kind of wished you caught on that something here about it all wasn't right. You let it slip from your mind where you were, and that you likely shouldn't be doing this anyway. Honestly, you just gave your entire story to a talking flower that you knew nothing about only then its name was Flowey.

  
"Is close your eyes! Trust me, okay?"

  
Well, in what position were you to deny it?

  
**xxx**

  
Sans heard the scream rip out through Hotland seconds after he had ended up there.

  
Frantically, he looked around the vast, warm place in hopes of finding where it was coming from. He had hoped it was not what he was thinking it was, but the sound of his shoes hitting the hard rock only tore down his hopes little by little as the screams ripped throughout Hotland. He was somewhat surprised no one else was running to check it out, because trust him, it was a rather loud clamor of screaming and laughing, but when he came to the bridge where a very familiar flower was digging its thorns into the body of a human, he clenched his teeth in frustration and his hopes nearly sunk.

  
He grabbed onto those before they could die completely.

  
_No_ , he thought to himself. He can't let this happen. He knew the deal, he knew what the flower had said, but he wasn't about to put up with this. He had a promise to keep, even if the lady on the other side of that door might have lost all hope in him. He couldn't just let another kid slip away so easily. It would just prove that he's just as hopeless as he thought himself to be and dammit, he was going to prove himself wrong. He wasn't about to let this happen, even if the flower had every opportunity then to squeeze their bones to crumbled bits.

  
"Sans!" The flower called out to him, the expression on its face wildly and almost unnervingly happy about the situation. He supposed it was the amusement of the devilish.

  
"It seems I won! Don't worry about this little fella right here," it said, gesturing to the human in its grasp with its head. The human was crying; sobbing even, as they clawed at the ground underneath their fingers to deal with the pain coursing through their body. The vines tightened around them the more they struggled, and the flower broke away from the stare down with Sans to berate the human for trying to fight back. Their eyes were trained on the ground, seemingly trying to plead with the flower with soft whispers, but it was having none of it.

  
Sans wasn't sure what he could do right then and there other then try to approach the mess of a situation he was in, but the second the flower saw him move, the already too tight vines on the human tightened themselves even more. They cried out at the feeling of the thorns sinking into their skin, and Sans nearly cringed at the sight of the blood dripping out of the small wounds. They seemed to have difficulty breathing, as the vines constricted them, but their sobbing made it worse.

  
Sans realized the timer for their life was ticking for them.

  
"Come closer," the flower warned, "and they die like the little ballet kid did."

  
"What do you even want with these kiddos?" Sans asked, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets out of irritation. He wasn't going to try and approach again, and having his hands in his pockets comforted him somewhat. He could clench and un-clench his fists all he wanted in the deep pockets. It was sort of a stress-relieving thing he did when he needed it and right now, stress was piling so high on his shoulders it made gravity heavier. He tore his eyes away from the suffering child and tried to play close attention to the flower behind it all.

  
" _Souls_ , stupid," the flower spat. "I told you before, Sans. Haven't you connected the pieces yet?"

  
It's smile was so devious, Sans almost felt the sins of the flower breathing down his neck. However, he was curious what it meant by what it just said. Instead of replying, he patiently waited for it to explain itself. 

  
"Haven't you wondered how Undyne has _always_ found out where the humans were? Where they were when they died? Isn't that..." the flower trailed off as it could hardly contain its laughter. High pitched, screeching laughter that was loud enough to shatter hearing. Sans didn't really understand what the flower was going on about, that was, until he put the puzzle together. He did his best not to gasp, but instead, his expression darkened.  
  
  
It's been stalking him.

  
"Oh, by the look on your face, I think you just got it! It seems not only humans are stupid, but monsters as well! _Especially_ skeletons."

  
"You've...you've told her?"

  
"Yep! Whispered every bit of information to her. Their locations...I even told her about the apron from one of the kids being a clue. I wasn't sure if it would do anything if I told her about that, but it did in the end." The flower snickered, and Sans remained silent.  

  
"Wherever the kids were when they went outside, I told her. Your house though was off limits though. Trust me, Sans, this game we've played today...we've been playing it for a long time. I told you, didn't I? If I found the kid first, then they died." The flower looked at the kid in its grasp, its smile only expanding the more it could.

  
"At first, I let the warrior girl do it. I told her everything and I'd let her kill them. But eventually, I realized, I couldn't get the souls that way. I was always a step too late in trying to get them after she speared them. So I tried myself, with the ballet kid. But it seems, even then, when I told her nothing that she was a step ahead of me. Well, I told her the first time you two were at Waterfall, but when the kid ran off again, I said nothing. Guess she must've still been lingering there. Undyne didn't trust me after that, seeing as I tried to take the soul for myself, so she's stopped listening to me."

  
The flower paused, the smile disappearing for a second before it came back. "Oh, and the third kid? Y'know, the chef and the whole apron thing I just mentioned? They would've stopped themself from falling if I didn't interfere. A little vine around the ankle, and they went falling! Trust me, they were a good foot and a half away from that edge."

  
Sans found himself failing for words. He looked at the kid out of habit, unsure how to feel about the information that was falling on him way too fast. Upon seeing his gaze trail away from the kid, the vines squeezed them, and they let out a loud sob in response. The flower seemed pleased with it.

  
"You hear _that_? That's the sound of regret. Honestly, humans don't even _think_ before they act. They deserve to die for reasons like this. I'm sparing them from the suffering they'd have to endure for a whole life time filled with nothing but this kind of stuff."

  
"You're a devious little thing, ain't ya?"

  
What was Sans supposed to feel? All this time, he should have been thinking about how Undyne knew where to appear, yet he always just assumed it was because she was smart. Not because some evil flower has been playing games with him for years now and he's had no idea. It all made sense. They were always safe if they were with him...

  
Wait.

  
"Chip was with me," Sans said, "when they died. Isn't that breaking the rules of your _own game_?"

  
"Oh, the writer?" The flower said. "I found them first, actually. I popped up where they landed. They were unconscious, sure, so they probably didn't register me. I actually didn't tell Undyne about them. She found that one on her own," the flower said, glancing away like it had before. "But when I saw that their death tore you up? Oh, I _knew_ I had to have my fun if this was a way to make you suffer. I told Undyne that whenever I saw a human, I'd tell her. _That's_ when my game with you started. Call the writer...hm...a nice starter to the game?"  
  
  
And the flower stopped once more. Sans felt his own awful, haunting thoughts get worse. He wasn't sure if the flower was pretending to be deep in thought, imitating the features of a mind lost in a world of wonder, but eventually when it piped back up to give its two-cents about something, his mind cringed. He found himself wanting the flower to fall silent, and to leave. He couldn't hear anymore of this insane bullshit.

  
"You know Sans, I can't figure you out. You sure are a weirdo."

  
"What would you know about me?"

  
"Enough to know you've tried to help five kids in the past and here they are now; stuck in coffins in the king's basement. _Dead_. Their souls gone."

  
Sans ground his teeth so hard together it was almost surprising they didn't crack under the pressure. Well, it was a piece of information, after all. Where the bodies of the kids were. He didn't think he could look at the decaying bodies without feeling a bit of remorse grabbing at his mind, and not to mention guilt, but he decided to ignore what the flower was obviously get out of him and decided to change the subject as casually as he could. But all too suddenly, he realized, he wasn't as hard on himself about the deaths of the kids.

  
"...For a tiny plant, you sure are _demented_."

  
"But you, Sans?" The flower continued, as if it hadn't heard him just then. Sans pinched the lint in his pocket vigorously, trying to take it out on something other then the flower. If he made the move to attack, the kid would be dead. Simple as that.

  
"You claim you want to get to the surface. Yet here you are, about to kill me because I'm choking out the human that has exactly what we need to get to the surface."

  
The flower laughed as if it dug up some sort of scandalous reveal about Sans. "What _do_ you want, Sans?"

  
"That..." Sans said, though his tone dropped. Well, he had a point on him. Sans did realized the things he wanted were two very contradictory things. He sighed, deciding to toss the flower a bone.

  
"That is a very good point you're making. But it doesn't concern you or anything, so I don't have to answer that."

  
"Fair enough," it said. It looked at the squirming child, smiled, then looked back at Sans with an expecting glance.

  
"Oh well, whaddya gonna do now?"

  
"Me?"

  
"Well, _obviously_ , I won the game. You gonna stand here and watch me kill 'em...?"

  
Of course not. That was a very easy answer, of course.

  
Sans didn't like tapping into his power abruptly, but a matter of someone dying or him acting out on it was a tough choice. Who knows what could really happen, but trying over not trying at all was the best he had. The kid was just saddening to look at; forced to hear them go back and forth while they could barely breathe and sharpened thorns clawing past their skin. Summoning up one of his Blasters to point it directly at the head of the flower, making the bone snout of it touch its delicate little forehead just barely, and his smile widened.

  
"Drop the kid."

  
"Sans," the flower said, its tone dropping. "I thought we had a deal...?"

 

" _I_ didn't agree to anything. This is just sick, honestly. Drop the kid, or you're dead."

  
"Are you in _any_ position to be making demands right now?"

  
"Kind of," Sans said, snickering under his breath. "I can snap my fingers faster then you can kill that kid, buddo."

  
"Wanna prove that?"

  
Sans really didn't. It was just bait to get it drop the kid, but he didn't want to risk them getting hurt. The Blaster would definitely do damage against the flower, but as for the child there could be no telling what would happen to them if he took the dare. With a sigh, Sans didn't let up, but he made his gaze as pointed as he could.

  
"You don't need to involve them in anything dealing with the Underground," Sans said. "And I get what you're saying. If they die, it's no leaves off your back. Because humans aren't protected here. No one would fight for justice for them." Sans paused, sighing, closing his eyes before opening them again. The flower seemed interested in what he was saying, enough that it allowed him to keep talking.

  
"But me? Yeah, I get it. Humans did bad things. Hell, if it weren't for the promise I made to that woman, then I woulda killed everyone I've seen myself. But I stopped that kinda thinking, for her. I don't even know her name but I'm pretty adamant about keeping this promise. And maybe it's developed more beyond that, learning that these kids have lives themselves seeing as I really got to know a few of them. I haven't met a single human so far that didn't have a shred of goodness in them."

  
"Are you going somewhere with this? Y'know, you're just making them suffer the more you drag it out..."

  
"I'm saying," Sans said, voice stern, "that I have a good mind about them too. You don't want to think about who they are but eventually you do."

  
"And?"

  
"And," Sans said, "I've decided that this, and murdering them for souls, isn't the route to go. It ain't right. I know there's not another solution out there for us, but these kids don't deserve to die for something they didn't do."

  
The flower laughed, throwing its devious little head before before nearly snapping back up, a much less friendly expression on its face.

  
"So you're siding with humans?"

  
"I'm siding with nobody," Sans said. "I'm just saying that killing 'em ain't gonna solve anything. It'll only make people mad when we go back up."

  
"But doesn't the king plan to wage war against humanity?"

  
"That big guy?" Sans nearly laughed at the mention, being sure to never move the Blaster away from aim at the flower's head. "He ain't gonna do it and you know it."

  
"You never know."

  
"Right," he said, his voice dropping a few octaves. He shook his head once more, then made sure that when he looked from the hurting child to the flower to make a very unhappy expression. He's decided that it isn't right to harm them, but he also agrees that he still wants to go up. If he made the choice to stay like this, he was making their chances of freedom slim. But all he had to do was thinking of each smiling face of each child he met before he remained on that decision. Hope was dissipate for him like this, but this wasn't the way to go. It was something only a demon could do.

  
"Oh _god_ ," the flower said, exhaust filling its voice. "You're really not gonna give this up, are you?"

  
"Not at all."

  
The flower rolled its eyes.

  
"Fine. Don't think your sap speech got to me or anything. You'll kill me even if I kill the kid, huh?"

  
"Sure."

  
"So here," the flower said, its voice tainted with disgust. "Here you go. Have it."

  
Surprisingly enough, right then and there, though the tension was so thick and the flower could have just done it anyway, the flower dropped the kid. Though some thorns remained in their body, they scrambled to their feet and tried running off, but after being constricted like that, it was very obvious they had trouble taking in the hot air easily. Sans let the kid stumble towards him before he caught them in his grasp, being sure to not mess with any of the thorns. In return, he dropped the Blaster, and with a scowl the flower slipped away.

  
A successful feeling overcame Sans, and he looked down at the sobbing child in his arms. He gently patted their back.

  
"Alright, kiddo," he said. "Let's get ya to a place where we can get those thorns out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my mouth is in a lot of pain after that surgery, but I'm doing good. :P
> 
> I wrote and edited this between now and yesterday. I plan to split Wren's chapter into two so we can prolong this fic a little. After Wren's story, there's going to be one last chapter based around Frisk and when Sans is on the surface. 
> 
> I've had the question asked to me over Tumblr a few times that I've answered privately so I'll say it here; I'd love if you guys drew for this. I don't mind, and if you wanna show it to me, you can post it on Tumblr and tag me in it. Or you can post it elsewhere if you don't have Tumblr and send me the link here in the comments or send an anonymous question over Tumblr where it is and how I can find it (you don't have to have an account to send me an ask, but it'll be on anon). You can draw yourself as the kids if you want, or draw your own take on what you think the kids should look like. I'd love to see your imaginations!
> 
> itstrickstersugar.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> Yep. AU where Sans meets the human souls that were lost to Asgore. Each soul has the appearance that I'm giving them. You yourself each chapter will be the human soul and live the story. Some will be extremely short, and some like this one will be a little longer. But their gender will not be defined like Frisk's.
> 
> //edit
> 
> when you fuCKINg forget the description of the fucking character


End file.
